


TRIAD

by Frzr



Category: Twilight, Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Aedi deserves his happy ending, Aedi's bio family are the sense8 characters, Agression, Already mated pair, Autism, Child Abuse, Disabilities, F/M, Fluff, Foster System, Getting over abuse, Going from an unhealthy to a healthy relationship, Happy Ending, Inspired By Sense8, M/M, Major Character Injury, Multi, Murder, PTSD, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Triad relationship, Underage Sex, Violence, asd, but they don't play a huge role - Freeform, mainly flashbacks, polyamorous family, sense8 - Freeform, you don't have to know the plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-04-19 18:07:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14242878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frzr/pseuds/Frzr
Summary: Alice’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped in Jasper’s arms. Edward took in a sharp breath as he watched the vision unfold through Alice’s head; it was of them but with another boy, a vampire. Alice woke up them her eyes shining as she turned around and buried her head in Jaspers chest, the vampire could feel the excitement and happiness rolling off her. “What is it Al?” he asked not letting his mates’ excitement get to him as he tried to remain calm. “Us Jasper!” she exclaimed, “A triad Jazz! And he’s perfect, absolutely perfect!”Aedi is a 15-year-old boy with a dark secret, what happens when the Cullens come along and turn his life upside down?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU story, Bella is turned into a vampire after Twilight and Renesme was never born. Jacob Black is the alpha and forms a new treaty with the Cullens meaning they have a better relationship.  
> For the purpose of this story, both Alice and Jasper were 17 when they were turned and Edward was 19.

It was a seemingly normal day in the Cullen household, Carlisle and Esme were at work and the Cullen children were gathered in the living room chatting while Edward and Alice played chess. "Seriously Ed" Alice groaned as she was beaten again, Jasper laughed and pulled the smaller vampire into his chest as she pouted. "You're losing your touch Alice," Edward said a smirk planted on his face, but just then the atmosphere in the room and everyone tensed up as Alice's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped in Jasper's arms. Edward took in a sharp breath as he watched the vision unfold through Alice's head; it was of them but with another boy, a vampire. What confused Edward more was that Alice and Jasper seemed to be treating him as if he was theirs. "I need to call Carlisle" Edward murmured standing up to phone Carlisle, Alice woke up them her eyes shining as she turned around and buried her head in Jaspers chest, the vampire could feel the excitement and happiness rolling off her. "What is it Al?" he asked trying to not let his mates' excitement get to him as he tried to remain calm. "Us Jasper!" she exclaimed, "A triad Jazz! And he's perfect, absolutely perfect" Jasper's jaw dropped as he let himself get excited. "Seriously?!" he said, a wide smile gracing his face. Triads were such a gift in the vampire world, only happening every 100 or so years it was truly a blessing to be in a triad but then it hit Jasper and a wave of sadness washed over him. Triads occurred because the two vampires who were already mated were the perfect match for the third vampire because they needed healing, protecting. Alice and Jasper were going to be in a triad because they were the best vampires to fix their new mate which made sense, Alice could see into the future, protecting them and Jasper was an empath, cut out to deal with their new mate's emotions. "Is he already a vampire?" Jasper questioned and Alice shook her head, "but he will be; he is arriving in a few days at the school as a new student. We can't meet him until the time is right though, Emmet will know. I can't say anymore if I did it could mess with the order of things." Jasper nodded in understanding, the future was very delicate and he didn't want to interfere.

////

Aedi was new to the school, with a blank facial expression he walked into the reception and was greeted by an elderly lady. She wore a kind smile on her face along with a bright yellow shirt adorned with purple flowers, something that made Aedi’s lips curl into a look of mild distaste.  
“How can I help you young man?” she questioned the cheery smile still present on her face despite the boy's facial expression. “I’m new, my names Aedi Parks” Aedi replied smoothly thanking God that he hadn’t stumbled over any of his words, although inside his stomach was twisting and turning with nervousness. The lady frowned as she typed the name into her computer “mm there’s no Aedi in the system but there is an Aiden who is supposed to be coming today, is that you?” Aedi’s face flushed “uh yeah my-my um foster Dad” he whispered quietly not wanting anyone in the reception to hear “was supposed to register me as Aedi.” “Oh?” the lady raised her eyebrow, her curiosity spiking “well I will change that on the system now then, I’ll print your schedule off too and ring up your tutor Mr March who’ll send Emmet Cullen over who is going to be your guide, that okay Aedi?" the lady asked resisting the urge to question the boy further. After he gave her a brief nod she gestured for Aedi to take a seat before going back to work, clicking on the keyboard of her computer and picking up the phone next to it on her desk.

Aedi turned away from the desk and looked around the reception to see where the lady was pointing too. There were two dingy chairs that looked as if they were going to collapse any minute now sitting sadly in the corner of the room with a small table set in front of them which was clearly just as old with a few brochures for the school placed on top it, they were bright and colourful in decoration which was a stark contrast to the rest of the dreary reception. Letting out a small sigh Aedi wandered over and plonked himself down on the most stable looking chair, setting his bag on his lap in order to mess with the zips on it, so maybe his nerves would calm a little while he waiting for the boy who was supposedly was his guide. His stomach was tumbling with nerves as his emotions were clouded with different senses. The lights in the office were a little too bright with unnatural white light, leaving him to squint slightly and have a small headache form in the centre of his forehead. The smell of old paper and antiseptic mixed with something that just stunk of ‘school' filled his nostrils and left him with a sour expression. Along with the sounds of the clock ticking on the far wall and the voice oozing with a fake niceness it was enough to make Aedi want to bolt from the school and never come back. 

He waited for around five minutes that felt like an eternity before a guy the size of a bear squeezed through the door. Aedi looked straight at the floor wanting absolutely nothing to do with the guy, it made his stomach twist and roll with the nerves at the thought of having to interact with the boulder of a man. “Hey Mrs Jacobs” he greeted the receptionist with a strong baritone, it sent shivers of fear down Aedi’s spine as it reminded him strongly of his foster dad’s voice. Looking up for a split second Aedi noted that the man was ridiculously attractive to the point where Aedi thought he must have been made in a factory. 

The receptionist's voice which was beginning to grate on his ears interrupted his train of thought, however “Ah Mister Cullen this is Aedi Parks, new to the school and a junior like yourself, he is in all of your classes so you have been assigned as his guide please look after him. He has been diagnosed with autism so just be careful” Flashing the receptionist a grin Emmet chuckled “when wouldn’t I?” he asked and a blush rose to Mrs Jacobs cheeks. Aedi felt his heart in his throat; he hated it when people threw around his ASD diagnosis so blasé but the more worrying thing was that this was the guy who was supposed to be his guide?! Aedi could barely manage to look at him for more than a second, how on earth was he supposed to manage an entire day with him? He felt his palms become slick with sweat and he wrung them anxiously, what was even worse was the fact he couldn’t stop his hands shaking when Emmet walked up to him, a dazzling smile gracing his features. “You ready Aedi?” Emmet said appearing to be completely at ease. “Y-yeah” Aedi managed to splutter before the two were heading out of the reception and into the main halls of the school. 

Emmet stared at the boy in front of him. With Aedi standing at just over 5’6 Emmet dwarfed the 15-year-old by a good foot but Aedi seemed to be a healthy weight, even carry some muscle in his arms and chest. He stood awkwardly, eyes constantly flicking around the room as if he was assessing for potential danger. Aedi’s face was quite thin, with a few freckles dotted over it; he also sported a prominent scar on his face which was a straight line from the middle of his left ear to his cheekbone which was raised and stood out in a stark contrast against his brown skin. The scar was slightly hidden from view by long wavy black hair which just brushed Aedi’s shoulders. Dressed in a red button-down, black skinny jeans and skeleton converse Emmet thought the guy looked as harmless as a kitten. But when he finally made eye contact with Aedi he was almost taken aback by the colour in which they were which were a bright viridian green; so bright that they almost seemed to glow. It was if the boy was staring into his soul, which was damn creepy. Aside from that another strange thing was Aedi’s blood barely had any effect on him and it was such a relief, he’d never encountered a human like that before so he was more than happy to guide Aedi around the school. Although it did puzzle him and he made a mental note to ask Carlisle about it when he got home.  
Emmet led Aedi though the many corridors of the school, occasionally pointing out key areas such as the canteen and the school gym where they sometimes held assemblies. Emmet wasn’t put out by the fact that Aedi didn’t speak however, he understood that different people had different ways of coping with things and the boy was probably scared as it was his first day at a new school. 

They eventually reached their first class of the day, English. Emmet guided Aedi to stand next to him outside of the door where other students had already gathered in their different friendship groups, waiting noisily for the teacher to arrive. Aedi simply kept his eyes on the ground and dug his hands into his jean pockets as not so secret whispers and comments went down the corridor, he couldn’t understand it though. It wasn’t often that they got new students in the middle of April, school finished in two months but why all of the whispers and comments. Why did they feel the need to do it? Aedi knew that most kids would just wait until the New Year to join. But Thomas had insisted he shouldn't go a day without formal education, so here he was, standing here in the dirty corridor blocking out all of the students, waiting for some stupid teacher.  
It was pointless arguing with him though; Aedi knew what it meant to anger Thomas. He did want to argue the situation with Thomas, Aedi knew that he could home-school by himself, would prefer to in fact, these two months could have been used as a trial and if Thomas was still unhappy he would have gladly come to school. Schools were loud and the noises jammed into his ears giving him the most spectacular headaches, the lights were too bright and everything always smelt funny, it made him feel sick. Aedi rubbed his chest in an attempt to ease the knot of pressure that formed there, no, it was best to leave the situation alone. It would be a stupid move to argue. He could deal with it.  
The teacher did arrive eventually however re-railing Aedi’s train of thought, and they quickly filed into the classroom, the chatter dying out as everyone took their seats. Aedi walked into the classroom before Emmet and shot him a surprised look when Emmet sat down next to him. “Can’t exactly leave you without a friend on the first day could I” the older boy whispered and Aedi’s cheeks flushed but Emmet just gave him a sly grin and nudged the younger boys shoulder against his own. Aedi looked over and gave him a small smile ignore the hot feeling on his shoulder from where Emmet had touched it before turning his attention back to the teacher. She was a tall older lady with greying hair and a wide smile which was clearly a mask perfected over her years of teaching; stood at the front of the class she welcomed them before looking right at Aedi. He ducked his head and looked down at his desk, not liking the eye contact. He heard her voice as she made the announcement though and cringed “Now before we crack on there is a new student in the class today, would you like to introduce yourself?” she asked, Aedi bought a hand up to run through his hair nervously then spoke the words Thomas had drilled into his brain “hi, my names Aedi and I just moved here from Fort Thompson in South Dakota.” Emmet looked at him in surprise, he had guessed Aedi's voice would be quite high but it was pleasantly deep and soft which meant it didn't grate on his ears, a thing that couldn’t be said for most of the other people at the school. The teacher nodded and said a quick “Lovely to meet you Aedi, I hope you have a great time here at Forks High School” Aedi nodded in thanks, his heart hammering in his chest, and the teacher got back to the lesson at hand.

////

It was nearing lunch time when Emmet made his decision, he liked Aedi. The human he’d actually liked in over forty years. The boy was pleasant, quiet and considerate, got on with his work and even attempted to laugh at him of his pitiful excuses for jokes even if he didn’t understand them, all the while dampening Emmet’s hunger. He didn’t know why but when he was next to Aedi it seemed as if all of his negative and unwanted emotions just seemed to disappear or at least dampen. This included his thirst, which he had learnt to deal with but it was greatly welcomed by the fact that it wasn’t really on his mind and he could fully concentrate on the work without having to distract himself. The teachers of his classes seemed to have noticed this; one even pulled him aside at the end of the lesson and commented on his improved concentration. It wasn’t as if he was ever a bad student, his marks were perfect in fact, but he often annoyed teachers with his constant moving and messing around. 

Emmet also realised something else about Aedi, the kid was damn smart. He whizzed through the work and Emmet, who had been attending college/high school for 50 years and had taken the classes they were in multiple times was impressed to see that Aedi sometimes finished his work before he did, without any trouble. Emmet was especially impressed with Aedi in their French class however, he had never taken French before and was having trouble with some of the work, Aedi, who had already finished his own, explained it to Emmet in a way so simple that he felt stupid for not realising it before. "How are you so good at French?" he had joked and Aedi had given him a toothy grin, the first real smile he'd seen Aedi show all day and replied, "I'm fluent." Emmet had shaken his head and let out a chuckle, shocking the girl on the desk next to his. She couldn't quite believe she'd heard someone from outside of the Cullen family make Emmet laugh, even if it was just a small chuckle. 

Lunch finally arrived and Aedi kept his eyes glued to the ground as Emmet led him to a table, he quickly sat down in a chair with no one sat on either side but Emmet soon joined him pulling some French work Aedi had yet to explain to him and waiting for Aedi to have his lunch out on the table and his work before introducing him. “Guys this is Aedi he’s a new junior, Aedi this is my beautiful girlfriend Rosalie, my brother Edward and his girlfriend Bella. I do have a sister, Alice, but she’s away for two weeks with her boyfriend Jasper, doing some work at a local college” he said, Aedi nodded and said a very quiet “hello” in greeting. Edward smiled at him, “you look a little young to be a junior Aedi?”,Aedi’s cheeks flushed, something he seemed to have been doing all day he noted annoyingly before replying “I’m fifteen, my f-foster Dad taught me the last couple of years because he was scared of sending me to school... so I’m ahead.” Rosalie raised an eyebrow “surely if you’re ahead why would your foster father discontinue his teaching” her cold voice made Aedi’s cheeks go even redder, feeling embarrassed at being asked so many questions he bought a hand up to push his glasses up and wiped his hands which were starting to clam up onto his jeans. “He uh- received a promotion at his job.. so he couldn’t continue w-working from home and schooling me...he’s really busy now” Aedi’s voice was taught and strained, clearly he was nervous. Emmet could hear his heart rate speeding up with every passing minute and he felt a small piece of anger bubble up in his chest as Edward felt the need to question Aedi further “oh, does he work around here then?” sending Edward a glare he nudged Aedi slightly, like in English this morning, and said “you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to Aed, Edward is just being a nosy swat.” Edward scoffed and glared at Emmet “I was just trying to make some polite conversation” he sniffed, looking affronted. Aedi looked at them wide-eyed, fearing he'd made the two brother’s fight, “n-no, no it’s okay, I’m okay. I just get nervous around new people that’s all, I’m sorry” Aedi’s spat out his words so fast that if they hadn’t of vampires then they were sure they would have missed it, realising this, well not the vampire part, Aedi took a deep breath and carried on making sure to slow his words down and speak clearly” Thomas is working at the general hospital, he’s a finance director.” Emmet continued to glare at his brother while Edward smiled at Aedi, “that’s great; our Dad works at the hospital, though they might not meet each other as he's a doctor." Aedi smiled softly, "wicked."

////

The rest of the day passed smoothly and soon they were sat in their last class of the day, maths. Emmet walked into the classroom first, Aedi trailing close behind him a folder clutched in his arms and a letter. Emmet sat down on the second row and was about to say to Aedi that he could sit on the left of him because there was a free seat there when he noticed Aedi was walking towards the teacher. He frowned and listened closely, trying to make out their conversation over the noise of the classroom. “Dyscalculia and ASD huh?" he heard his teacher say and Emmet racked his brains for what he could remember about the condition, he briefly remembered something about it being like dyslexia but he wasn't sure. He focused on Aedi again who was shuffling lightly, moving the weight of his folder from one arm to the other and occasionally bringing a hand up to push up his glasses before running it through his hair. "Yeah, I just have trouble with-" he started, his voice shaking slightly but their teacher cut him off with a wave of his hand "yes, yes I know what it means" he rolled his eyes before continuing "I understand that Emmet Cullen is your guide? You shall be sitting next to him for this lesson?” Aedi nodded, a bit shocked that a teacher would just interrupt him like that “yes sir” he mumbled, confidence shaken, "well then I'm sure Mr Cullen can give you all the help you require, the understanding of the condition is in the preliminary stages so I cannot help you, nor do I have the time too. I'm sure Mr Cullen will be fine. Now off with you, I have a lesson to teach.” It was clear the conversation was over and Aedi walked over to Emmet defeated, he sat down in the seat and folded his hands together and looked deep in thought for a second before pulling his notebook and maths folder out. Emmet looked over at Aedi and gave him a smile "you alright dude? I know Mr Philips can be a bit harsh" Aedi looked over at him and gave him a small smile, which was barely a tug at his lip and more like a grimace before replying “yeah, he can.” Emmet frowned, why wasn’t Aedi asking for help? He knew he needed it, he heard Mr Philips say he did? Emmet pondered whether to confront him about it when it suddenly hit him and he nearly slapped his hand against his face in frustration at his stupidity. All day Aedi had been a nervous wreck and showed clear signs of anxiety, of course he wouldn’t ask Emmet for help and even if Emmet did ask him whether he needed it, Aedi probably wouldn’t accept it. Emmet sighed and tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying, writing down notes occasionally but whenever he looked over at Aedi, the boy looked so lost staring at the board filled with equations. He rubbed at his temples a lot and even took his glasses off a few times, it was clear he had a headache. If it had been a practical lesson doing some work Emmet would have jumped to help but it was a lecture so he couldn’t do anything but sit there and worry.  
After the lesson, Aedi packed away slowly but Emmet waited for him, sat on his desk. "What's Dyscalculia?" he asked and Aedi froze, he opened his mouth to answer but Mr Philips beat him to it “it is severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, as a result of brain disorder Mr Cullen.” He said tapping his foot, “now are you two boys finished? I want to go home and I have no time to wait for you” Aedi nodded and scuttled out of the classroom not waiting for Emmet who was stood in mild shock for a few seconds before saying a quick apology to Mr Philips who simply waved him off before jogging to catch up with Aedi who was making his way to the exit. “Hey Aedi, wait up” he called coming up and starting to walk next to the boy, “yes Emmet” his voice strained, Emmet frowned “what’s wrong?” Aedi shrugged. “It’s not about the dyscalculia thing is it, Aedi I’m not bothered by it. I mean, you’ve been a wiz at every single other subject that we’ve been in today, I can even help with maths if you want.” Aedi sighed in frustration “you try telling that to everyone else. Especially Thomas” he muttered under his breath, not knowing that Emmet could hear every word he was saying. Keeping a straight face he watched as Aedi tried to fake a smile and thanked Emmet for the offer. Inside Emmet felt that same anger that he felt at lunch bubble up in his stomach, he didn’t know why but he had become oddly attached to the 15-year-old in such a short space of time. They reached the car park in front of the school and Aedi waved and said goodbye to Emmet but he just smiled and said "I can give you a lift if you want? Where do you live?" Aedi looked surprised, "no it's okay, I'm meeting Thomas at the hospital" Emmet frowned, "that's like five miles from here, and it's alright. I'll give you a lift, no arguments" Aedi looked as if he was going to protest, but a look from Emmet made his mouth shut abruptly and a shy smile appear on his lips as he followed Emmet to the massive truck. Rose was waiting next to it, a smile appearing on her face as she spotted her husband. They kissed quickly before Emmet explained to Rose that they were giving Aedi a lift to the hospital. She just nodded and said "oh that’s fine; I was going to ask if you could stop off there first, I need to give Carlisle something” Emmet beamed, “that’s great then.” 

"Thanks for driving me Emmet," Aedi said as they walked through the hospital entrance, Emmet just smiled and waved his free hand "don't sweat it, we had to come anyway." Rosalie huffed as she pressed the button to let them in, "well if you didn't forget to give Carlisle his letter then we wouldn't have to" Emmet laughed, scaring a few old ladies in the corner with its loud booming, and kissed her hand gently, a small smile tugging at his lips as he looked at her “oh yes my love” he began dramatically making Aedi laugh softly “I am deeply sorry for my transgression, if you can forgive me I will pledge my life to your cause, whatever it may be” Rosalie rolled her eyes but giggled with a smirk settling on her face afterwards, “I’ll remember that.” Emmet was about to comment further when a man came strolling down the corridor.  
He held a regal air that caused the words to die in Emmet’s throat; it was intimidating even to the vampires. The man was tall, taller than Emmet who stood at 6’4 and he carried himself with a grace that seemed almost unnatural. With short chocolate coloured hair which was carefully cut and styled close to his head, stormy grey eyes that were sweeping across the corridor and a gaze that could freeze anyone to the spot, the man looked like he belonged on a throne. Not in the corridor of a hospital in the middle of Forks of all places. His strong, pronounced cheek and jaw bones matched a thin but handsome face. The man was dressed in a crisp and clearly expensive grey suit which hugged his toned body and would have made any person swoon. Aedi stopped in his tracks and took up a posture that broke Rosalie’s gaze from the man. The boy had straightened his back, changed his facial expression to one of complete neutrality, Rosalie was stunned at how fast he had gone from a nervous boy to looking like a strong and respectable young man within the space of a second. It clicked into place however when the man walking down the corridor also stopped and a grin so wide it looked almost uncomfortable broke out onto his face, “Aiden there you are, I was just about to call you” he said, his voice strong, a deep tenor and powerful; suiting his already perfect appearance. Aedi nodded curtly and stepped towards the man who ran a hand through his Aedi’s hair before resting on his shoulder. Emmet, however, frowned when he saw the faint flinch that Aedi gave when the man's hand reached towards him and the next when the hand actually touched him. "How was school?” the man asked his eyes roaming freely over Aedi’s body, something that made Emmet shiver, “it was fine, Emmet has helped me greatly and even took the time to drive me here with his girlfriend, which I am very grateful for. Emmet’s father also works here at the hospital, as a doctor” Aedi replied, his voice void of any emotion, a far cry from what Emmet and Rosalie had been hearing all day when Aedi’s voice had often cracked with nerves. "Ah, what's the name of your father Mr...?" Emmet straightened his back and gave the man a fake smile "Cullen sir, and my father is Carlisle Cullen sir" he answered. The man raised an eyebrow, "Carlisle Cullen, he is a great man and I am sure that he is also a great father” the words were meant to compliment but they were so cold Emmet wanted to wipe the smirk of the man’s face with a swing of his fist, but he continued to smile and thank the man for the ‘compliment.’ “Now I’m afraid Aiden and I must be getting home now. Thank you for giving Aiden a lift here although please restrain from doing so in the future, Aiden has two perfectly good legs. Have a good evening both” and with that the man took off down the corridor, Aedi trailing behind him. The boy gave the two vampires a small smile before speeding up slightly to walk side by side with the person Emmet summarised was Aedi’s foster father. Rosalie turned to him, “what the hell was that?!”

////

Hey, Fraser here!

I just wanted to introduce this story a little bit. It's heavily focused on my OC character Aedi for the first few chapters but the twilight characters will become more involved as the plot ensues. This is also a story about a polyamorus relationship, specifically between Alice, Jasper and Aedi but that doesn't happen for another couple of chapters yet, as a questioning poly person I'm just experimenting with my writing at the moment. 

There will be quite a lot of violence, emotional distress and nasty things happening but I do have a lot of good things planned too! 

Thanks for reading and please comment any questions you have or your thoughts about this chapter! I would love to hear from you guys x


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mornings and meltdowns

2  
The next day arrived and Aedi woke up late. However, the room was still pitch black and he could hear Thomas softly snoring next to him. Letting out a deep breath Aedi closed his eyes once again; the previous night had been rough and his entire body ached like a bitch. Aedi just felt drained, his muscles were weak and trembling; his brain felt as if it had been blended like a smoothie. No matter how many times it happened, Aedi always felt like shit in the morning. He tried to lift his arm but failed miserably as the limb refused to co-operate. Feeling Tom shift next to him, Aedi sighed and chose to just lie there for a few more minutes. His eyes had just slipped shut for a few more seconds when he heard a voice in his ear. “Come on Aid, you need to get up” Tom whispered, finally awake. “Can’t we just stay here for a few minutes” the boy groaned, voice low and sluggish. Tom laughed and Aedi felt his chest vibrate against his back. Tom pulled him in closer and ran a hand through his hair, “as much as I would like to lie here all day with you” he said, squishing Aedi even tighter, gaining a small laugh out of him “I have a job to get to and you young man have school. So come on, up, up, up” he sprung out of bed and pulled the covers all the way down, exposing Aedi to the cool air of the room. He groaned and rolled over trying to shield his eyes from the bright sunlight, which flooded the room after Tom yanked the curtain open. 

“Aiden, you have five seconds to get that butt of yours out of bed. I’m counting. Five. Four” Aedi flopped over and rolled off the bed, managing to catch himself before he fell into a heap on the cold wooden floor. “Three. Good boy, come on” Thomas grasped his upper arm in a firm grip and led him into the bathroom, “five minutes max Aiden, we’re running late,” he said before opening the shower door. Internally rolling his eyes, Aedi obeyed Tom and hopped in, shivering when the icy water hit his body. He could see Tom getting ready for the day as well, shaving his face and getting both his and Aedi’s clothes out of the wardrobe. He looked away however and got on with having a shower. Stepping out after four minutes, Tom smiled at him, kissing his cheek briefly before handing him a towel and getting into the shower. 

Bringing a hand up to his cheek, Aedi couldn’t help but smile, it wasn’t often Thomas was in such a good mood. It was probably because he behaved so well last night. After they left the hospital last night, Thomas had been angry that he hadn’t followed his instructions to the letter and had made friends so quickly. But Aedi had made it up to him, and he was being rewarded for it. Changing into blue jeans and white button-down Tom had lain down on the bed; Aedi felt a stab of shame slice through his chest. 

He knew that what Thomas and he did was wrong. Thomas shouldn’t be treating him like a boyfriend or something that he could control. He shouldn’t be hitting him, or kissing him. Aedi knew that if anybody ever found out, Thomas would go to jail. But he couldn’t help but like it. It was nice having someone to rely on; sure he didn’t like all aspects of their peculiar relationship, especially those parts. But Aedi wanted to make Thomas happy, a happy Thomas meant a loving, caring and kind Tom; someone who made Aedi laugh and smile. Tom would make pancakes and take Aedi to the cinema, would hug him like he really meant something. Aedi loved Tom. He didn’t love Thomas though. Thomas was cruel, wanted to control Aedi. Wanted to know where he was, who he was with, where that person came from. Thomas wanted to know if Aedi even breathed on the person; wanted him to follow his instructions to the exact letter. Thomas was violent. Thomas made him do things that made him feel so ashamed he had to scrub his skin until it was red raw. 

Shaking his head Aedi sat down on the bed and waited for Tom. He couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in his eyes though; rubbing them away with his hand Aedi willed them to go away. He didn’t want to cry when Tom was in a good mood. Unfortunately, it seemed that his luck had run out however as Tom chose that exact moment to walk back into the room, dressed in slacks and a grey shirt with only a few of the buttons done up. His hair still wet from the shower and a pleasant smile was planted on his face. This changed though when he saw Aedi crying quietly on the bed. His expression changed to one of concern as he quickly made his way over. “What’s wrong Aiden?” he asked, scanning the boy for injury. “I’m okay” Aedi sniffled, continuing to wipe his eyes. Tom frowned and lay on the bed, pulling Aedi securely into his chest despite his protests. “We’re going to be late,” Aedi said, voice choked with tears. Tom just smiled softly and tutted at him “you are more important than work Aid” he said looking down into his eyes, wiping a stray tear away from his face. “Thank you” Aedi whispered burying his face into Tom’s chest, comforted by the fact that Thomas hadn’t made an appearance due to his negative emotion.  
A few minutes passed before either of them spoke again. “Now how about I called in sick for today and do some work from home, I’ll drop you off at school and say you had an unexpected doctor’s appointment. Then I’ll pick you up from school later, we can go bowling and then to that nice Italian place on the corner. We’ll come home and then watch that new superhero film you were talking about. How does that sound?” Aedi stifled a sob and nodded. Tom kissed his head and wrapped his arms around him before switching their positions so Aedi was lying beneath him; Tom’s weight was comforting on top of him. Tom flashed him a blindingly white smile, “I adore you, Aiden” the boy blushed and laughed, “I adore you too.” 

Half an hour later, they had re-dressed into fresh clothes, eaten a small breakfast and driven to Aedi’s school, which Tom had called earlier to explain why he’d be late. Tom pulled up to the school and parked up. Turning to face Aedi, he gripped his hand, “now Aiden. Today, I want you to concentrate on your work, eat all of your lunch and be waiting for me to pick you up right here at 3:35. You can speak with the Cullen’s but you must not speak about home with them. Do you understand?” Aedi nodded, he could do that. Tom grinned, “you are just perfect, are you excited for tonight?” pride swelled in the younger boys chest, it wasn’t often Thomas did this, so he eagerly nodded and chuckled softly when Tom hugged him from his seat. “Have a good day!” he said smiling before getting out of the car.

He shut the door and waved at the man before making his way up to the main entrance where Emmet was stood waiting for him. “Morning” Aedi greeted cheerfully, the older boy smiled at him, “you’re nearly late, what took you so long?” he asked, Aedi shrugged “doctor’s appointment,” he said, clutching the strap of his bag tightly. Emmet stared at him for a brief moment, the smile slowly sliding off his face, “if you’re sure, you seem awfully happy for a person who has just been to the doctors” he said, his eye’s narrowing slightly, but his relaxed posture put Aedi at ease, he knew Emmet didn’t mean it. “Yes, yes I’m sure” he laughed, rolling his eyes before pushing the doors open not waiting for Emmet and walking towards their first class of the day. “Hey! Wait up!” the other boy yelled laughing as he jogged to catch Aedi up, who had a small smile on his face as he heard Emmet’s feet pound on the floor. 

////

Classes dragged that day; Aedi tapped his pencil on the desk, fidgeted in his seat and hardly paid attention to the teachers who were lecturing them. He just couldn’t wait to spend some time with Tom, it hardly ever happened because Tom was so nervous about being out in public together but he was in such a good mood he didn’t seem to mind. Aedi could already smell the food they were going to be eating and could imagine later on when they’d watch that film together. Tom would always make the best popcorn and hot chocolates.  
Looking up at the clock, Aedi saw that they still had ten minutes left of their final class until lunch, Biology. He didn’t share this class with Emmet; instead, he sat next to his girlfriend Rosalie. She was nice enough, a little sharp and cold; but she was always blunt and honest which Aedi appreciated. He could never really understand how people were feeling so to have someone who was so straight with him was very refreshing and made him feel relaxed around the blonde. 

“What are you doing?” Aedi’s train of thought broke when Rosalie’s voice chastised him, “what?” he asked, frowning slightly. She looked at him, face scrunched with frustration “you keep tapping that pencil, it’s extremely annoying” she said, Aedi’s face flushed a bright red and he immediately put the pencil down mumbling a quite sorry. 

Rose just shook her head and looked back at her work, not thinking about it too much. A minute passed and she looked over at Aedi, the boy was hunched over, his hands folded neatly in his lap and his head was bent so he was looking at his desk. There was fear radiating off of him and Rosalie could see the small shivers of nervousness running down his body. She became immediately concerned and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder however she retracted it not even a second later when Aedi flinched. “Hey, don’t be like that, it’s alright, it was just getting to me, that’s all” she explained, her voice a lot softer and kinder. Aedi couldn’t look at her though, knowing the rage he would see in her eyes. 

“Aedi....look at me...please” Taking the risk Aedi lifted his head and anxiously met Rosalie’s eyes but gasped slightly when all he saw was the concern she was feeling, he snapped his eyes shut again, thinking he must have been imagining something. Rosalie must be absolutely furious with him. “Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. Aedi please look at me” Aedi shook his head and began to pack his things away knowing the bell would ring any second. He held his breath and refused to look at Rose as the teacher handed out a worksheet to complete at home knowing that if he just kept his head down and got on with things then Rosalie was more likely to calm down. What he didn’t see was the worry in her eyes as she looked at the boy who was clearly distressed, all over a remark about his habit being annoying. 

Aedi was shaking slightly in his seat and his hands wobbled so badly that he could hardly put his worksheet in the folder. A pale hand landed on his and quicker than lightning Aedi flinched away and picked up his bag shooting out of the room, leaving his worksheet forgotten on the table and a confused Rose behind him. 

Aedi ran down the corridor, he needed to get out into the fresh air and fast. He could feel the tightness in his chest constricting his breathing and his head was becoming fuzzy as he made an attempt to get outside. Suddenly he crashed into someone and he fell to the cold polished floor, crying out in pain and clutching his head, the ringing in his ears got louder as he was pulled off the floor and slammed hard into the lockers. He could hear someone yelling at him, but the words were muffled and his head was spinning faster than a tornado. The smell of lockers, antiseptic and teenagers flooded his brain and made him feel physically sick, bright lights were burning his skin and he could feel thousands of tiny bugs crawling all over him. Aedi could feel the meltdown coming on and he knew he needed to get out of the situation but kicking his legs and arms out wasn’t doing anything, only making his breathing even more difficult. It felt as if he was floating yet also falling at 1000mph, his bones felt like they were vibrating and Aedi couldn’t control any of his movements anymore. Darkness swept in and Aedi ceased to move. 

////

Hey! I hope you all are well, sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the last one, I just needed to break it up a little bit. 

So in this chapter, I wanted to focus on Aedi’s relationship with Thomas and how that affects him both at home and his everyday life. I just want to say first that I do not condone child/adult relationships and I know that what Thomas is doing to Aedi is extremely wrong. As you can see, Aedi does not deal well with people being angry at him and because of all the pent-up emotion and his feeling from the morning, what Rose said triggered a meltdown. 

Also, Jasper and Alice are definitely in the story I promise and you’ll be getting an update on them in the next chapter. 

Fraser x


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasper and Alice talk about their third mate. Aedi comes around from his meltdown at school.

The Cullen household was quiet. Most of the young vampires were at school, Carlisle was working hard at the hospital and Esme was out, busy shopping for food which they would eventually give to the local food bank. However, there were two left remaining. Alice and Jasper were lounging on the sofa in the expansive living room, enjoying each other’s company as the radio played quietly in the back ground.

“Are you worried?” Alice said, her voice soft as she lay her head on Jasper’s jumper clad chest, feeling comforted by his presence and the low rumbling of his chest. “About what love?” he drawled, looking down at her and running his hand through her wild hair. “You know what” she grumbled moodily, it was obvious what she was talking about, Jasper just wanted to ignore it.

It was about their new mate. Emmet said he was nice and very pretty, although a little shy and hard to read. Alice of course, was ecstatic. She couldn’t wait to have another person in their relationship.They had always been missing something, it was like there was a hole in both of their chests that they could never fill; now they understood why. It was still daunting though.

Alice was scared that their new mate wouldn’t accept them, which would mean that they would want nothing to do with them. Then there was Jasper. Alice knew that he was afraid. She knew that he wanted a new mate, she may be no empath, but Alice could feel the longing that had lingered after she had the first vision.

They had even spoken about it a lot, becoming overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Then one day, it just stopped. Jasper didn’t want to talk about it, hear Alice talk about it, or even _think_ about it.

“Enlighten me” he replied, trying to keep his voice calm. Alice slumped and sighed, she would never win. “About the fact that our mate is at the school right now and you don’t even want to see him.”

Jasper stiffened and got up from the sofa, he was tense, and hackles risen by Alice’s statement. “No! I don’t want to see him! I don’t want to go play _mates_ with him. Because Alice if you didn’t know. He’s a human! _I will kill him_. I know I will, as soon as I see him I’ll want to kill him. Yes! I want a mate; yes I want _Aedi_ to be our mate. But it is not _ **safe**_ Alice. It won’t be until he’s a vampire, which he can’t be because I don’t want to take away his chance of a _normal, human life_!!” he snarled, all of his emotion suddenly bursting out of him like a gas tank ready to explode. His voice was dripping with anger as he stormed away from Alice.

Alice was stunned; she couldn’t believe that her mate would say those things, let alone be so goddamn angry. This wasn't her Jasper at all. 

“No Jasper, you won’t!!" She snapped, fed up of her mates self confidence around blood. "There has not been _one_ report of a vampire killing their mate, even if believe it or not, their mate was a human! _I want Aedi in our lives Jasper_! Emmet said that he is hurting, that _**his foster dad is hurting him.**_ You know why triads exist! You know that the reason he was destined to be with us was because we can fix him. You and I, together. If you want him to carry on with his human life, you are sentencing him to a life of misery! At least with us…. he can be _happy_ Jazz....”

Jasper looked broken. He slumped down on the sofa as all of the rage and agression seeped out of him and let him hollow. Sitting back down, he drew his head into his hands. “I just want him to be _safe_ ” he murmured, his voice wavering as he was overcome with worry.

He didn’t want Aedi to be hurt. Hell, it was the last thing he wanted. If there was even the slightest chance that he would harm him... Jasper would keep as far away from his little mate as possible, no matter what it would do to Alice and him. He couldn't have more blood on his hands.

But he knew that Alice was right, Aedi needed them to help him, but he just couldn’t accept it.

Alice sat down next to him, finally understanding her mates feelings. She pulled his hands away from his face and tugged them into her lap before resting her forehead against his, both of them breathing deeply in an attempt to sooth all of the negative and jagged emotions. “listen Jazz...you’re not going to hurt him. I _promise_. Aedi is our mate, we were born to love and protect each other. Not kill or harm. If there was even the slightest chance that you would do such a thing, Edward, Emmet and everyone else will be there to pull you away. We can pack up and move to the other side of the bloody earth for all I care. But we at least need to try, Aedi needs us both to be strong so we can face whatever he is dealing with. We need to be able to comfort him, love him as much as we love each other. I want to be able to sit with you both and feel safe, I know Aedi and you Jazz, will come to want that too. Can we do that? Can we just try?”

“You promise you’ll pull me away if things go south Darlin’” he asked,

“Yes Jasper. I’d never let you hurt him”

Jasper then nodded in answer to Alice’s question. He guessed they could try.

Forks High School

When he woke up it was in a dark room, on a cold, hard and lumpy surface. Aedi could smell the damp walls and illness hanging in the room, cracking his eyes open slightly, he saw that he was in the Nurse’s office.

All of the lights switched off and the curtains drawn but he could still make out the ‘get better soon’ posters and pictures of cats dressed up as nurses from his place on the gurney. A tall fan was blowing in his direction and Aedi felt the breeze ripple across his cheek pleasantly. He was still dressed in the same clothes as earlier thank god (even if they were a little wrinkled) and from looking at the little black LED clock on the side table, Aedi could see that he’d only been out for around an hour; meaning the school probably didn’t call Thomas, which he could only be grateful for.

A long breath left his mouth, his body was sore and tired. It always was after a meltdown. Twisting to face the wall, Aedi felt the pang of uncomfortable-ness you get when you lie in one position for too long; his left arm was numb but he was starting to feel the blood rush back to the limp, his arm tingling with pins and needles. A headache was in full bloom at the front of his mind however, it was bulging right in the centre of his forehead and at the bottom corners of the back of his head, bring one hand up to touch his forehead, Aedi winced at his temperature, which was far too high to be considered normal.

Embarrassment had started to creep in. He’d had a meltdown in front of _everyone_.

The amount of shame Aedi felt built a lump in the middle of his chest made his throat feel even dryer than it already did. Everyone would know that he was different, more so than they did before. There would be so much teasing and bullying to come, Aedi could already feel the bruises on his skin and the sharp knifes of cruel words in his back.

Today was supposed to be a good day.

Today he and Tom were going to have a wonderful time. Now, it was ruined. He had ruined it with is stupid meltdown which was just irrational and idiotic. Aedi knew that Rose didn’t really mean it. But at the time he was just swirling with emotions and it was just too hard not to get overwhelmed, knocking into that boy was just the final straw. Aedi had no control over his body and it was just terrifying. Even if he had desperately wanted to stop, he couldn’t even think straight to control his body and no matter what he thought, his body was just under the thumb of his autism. Which is just so unfair.

“Aedi” A relieved voice called breaking his train of thought. A cold hand settled on his arm but on Aedi’s sensitive skin it felt like someone was rubbing sandpaper on his raw nerves, he let out a small cry of pain and immediately jerked away from the hand. Turning to face the wall, the boy squeezed his eyes shut willing for everything to just disappear.

“Hey buddy I’m sorry, it’s just me. It’s Emmet” even though the voice sounded concerned, it was still booming and made Aedi’s head spin, “go’way, too’loud” he whispered, trying desperately to pull the sheet over his head in order to make all noise and light vanish. His headache was overwhelming and was burning its way into his skull, formed in the shape of a tight band, which wrapped around the middle of his forehead like a crown of pain.

Aedi heard the sound of footsteps slowly disappearing. He knew he had made a mistake in asking Emmet to leave. He felt a coldness seeping into his body and overcastting loneliness draped over him.

Aedi wanted his friend there, even if he was just sat in the chair next to the bed. Even though he still had one hell of a headache and his body felt as if it had been run over by a truck. The boy forced himself up and swung his legs over the bed. Placing one foot on the ground, Aedi slowly worked his way into a standing position and started to take feeble steps towards the door. He took one step before he his feet turned to jelly and he collapsed on the ground.

Feeling the tears starting to pour Aedi let out a little sob as he curled up on the floor of the Nurse's office. Where had Emmet gone? 

///////

About half an hour later, he crawled back onto the bed and lay flat on his back. The tears were all gone and had died on his face, there was nothing left to cry about. he was just about to let his eyes close once again when he heard footsteps. A small flame of hope ignited in his chest at the thought of it being his friend. He waited with baited breath and clutched the thing sheets a little tighter as they got louder and louder. 

What he was greeted with when the person finally made it into the office however, made his heart turn to ice.

Thomas walked into the room, a person he assumed to be the school nurse in tow.

“Aiden” Thomas sighed, before pulling him into a tight hug. Aedi knew the gesture was only for the nurse. Thomas had his hands digging into his face and he was all tense as he gripped his tender body. “You are in _so_ much trouble young man” he snarled quietly, the words obviously meant for Aedi’s ears only. Squeezing his eyes shut even more, Aedi tried to stop the tears that were welling up, from falling down his face.

He couldn't appear weak when he had ruined everything.

Thomas pulled away, a dark expression on his face which quickly melted away as he turned to face the Nurse. “Thank you so much for looking after him Jackie, you really didn’t have to go to all of this trouble” she waved him off. “No trouble at all, we were all quite worried actually when Aedi started screaming in the corridor, thought he’d been shot!” she explained, her dark eyebrows raising up as she recalled the event.

Thomas frowned, his persona slipping away for a few seconds before a nervous smile painted his face. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, “does know how to keep everyone on their toes, don’t you champ?” he laughed, he scrubbed Aedi’s head with his knuckles.

For anyone else, this would have been a slightly annoyance, but to Aedi, it felt as if Thomas was shredding his skin with a grater. Hiding the pain, Aedi faked a chuckle. “Sorry miss” he murmured, not having the heart to speak any louder than a whisper. “Yes, I do apologise for Aiden’s behaviour, he shouldn’t be causing such as scene, especially in front of pretty ladies such as yourself” Thomas charmed, a signature smirk planted on his lips as he flirted with the young nurse.

Her face flushed with mild embarrassment and she giggled, batting Thomas’s arm lightly with her hand.

Aedi internally sighed, she had no chance with his foster Dad. First off, he was gay. And well the second reason, his tastes were a little…. Younger, per say. Aedi laughed bitterly in his internal monologue. No one would ever believe him, even if he tried to tell them.

Thomas was young, successful, flirtatious with the ladies and was everyone’s favourite guy. People practically fell over themselves to kiss his feet when he told them about the poor, depressed, autistic boy he took in off his own back. ‘I just want to give Aiden the best life, the best chances that I can. He deserves it’ he would sigh, looking at him affectionately whenever they met someone new. Each time, Aedi would have to fake a smile and sing Thomas’s praises, ‘I’m just so grateful a man like Thomas would take me in, every time he does something nice for me. I’m reminded of what my life was like before… and how lucky I am now to have him in my life.’

It was bullshit of course. But they _all_ fell for it.

Aedi would just love to tell them about the amount of times Thomas had pushed his face into the mattress of their room. How the bruises on his arms and neck weren’t from hitting himself during a meltdown. Why every time Thomas comes near him, he flinches because he knows exactly what Thomas has done to him and plans to do to him next. He doesn’t flinch because he has a tragic back story filled with abusive and evil foster homes like Thomas says, it’s because Thomas is a monster and Aedi is the only person who knows it.

He gazed at Thomas and the Nurse. They were locked in conversation;

“You look so young to be a Dad”

“Actually, Aedi is my foster son. I took him in a few years ago after he was shoved in a group home which didn’t understand his autism. He was so scared he wouldn’t even say hello to me when we first met”

“Really? That’s just so lovely of you, especially with all his issues. I wouldn’t know how to handle it. Especially at such a young age”

“Well we cope, don’t we buddy?”

Aedi just flashed them a smile and pretended to look interested, “yeah, Thomas is great. Best foster home I’ve ever stayed at” he said.

It was another lie. Thomas took him in immediately after his family died, the whole group home thing was just bullshit Thomas made up to make him look like a super hero. Swooping in to safe an unfortunate orphan who’d family had died and then was put through the horror of group homes and ‘countless’ families who couldn’t get understand his autism or care for him properly.

“Well you must be very grateful young man” the nurse said, smiling at him.

Aedi nodded again and gave a fake smile of his own, “I am miss, Thomas is great”

Yeah, great at being a fucking psychopath.

//////////

Hey everyone!

I hope you all liked the new chapter, I know it was angst central but I really wanted to focus on how the triad were feeling and stuff. It also reveals a little more about how Aedi feels about Thomas. What do you guys think at this point in time? I am moving to slow or anything? Feedback is much appreciated! 

I'm sorry this took so long to get out, I've been super busy with trying to finish college but I'm done now so hopefully I'll be able to post another chapter in the next few days. 

Thanks for reading, commenting and giving kudos!

Love, Fraser x 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aedi thinks about his family and speaks to a frantic Emmet.

That night after Thomas had cleaned him up, Aedi was restless. There was a dull throbbing all over his back and his wrists ached but other than that, he was okay. Thomas had cooled down significantly by the time they were home, so it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be.

All Aedi could think about now was Emmet. He was angry at himself for pushing the older boy away earlier. Aedi was just sore and tired which made him cranky. He didn’t want Emmet to go away for good, just wanted him to be a little quieter and not touch him. All he could imagine in his head was Emmet’s concern turning to sadness and how he must have looked so dejected. Emmet had only ever been nice to him, and Aedi just had to be an asshole.

He sunk his head further into the pillow and tried to re-direct his thoughts. Obviously, this was of no use because every night the thoughts of his family and his life before everything went to shit plagued his dreams. Aedi shook his head and listened to the sounds of the room, trying to centre himself. The soft snores of Thomas, the wind rustling through the open window and the heavy blanket weighing down on him. The smell of the apple wood burner which Thomas bought to mask other scents was lingering in the room, even though the strong candle had been put out several hours ago.

Aedi’s eyes slipped shut, tomorrow was a new day, hopefully it would be better than the last.

_He ran as fast as his short legs could carry him he ran into the woods. It felt as if he was on fire; like his legs were going to fall off. A hot stream of tears ran down his face, but he kept going pushing forward through the dense woodland. Crashing through the tall dark trees gaining small rips on his clothes as nettles and thorns attacked them along with scratches to his skin. Eventually after running for what felt like forever his legs couldn’t carry him anymore and he collapsed in a huddle of tears on the damp ground. Every muscle in his body was screaming in agony as sobs shook his body and his breathing sped up._

_The whole world began spinning; a belt was being tightened around his chest and suddenly, he was drowning in panic. Black spots danced at his already blurred vision and for a few minutes it felt as if he was going to die._

_Gasping for a single breath he felt a gaping hole in his chest, he missed his old life before all the loss and panic so much; when he went home to a warm house, a loving family and a soft comfy bed. He missed the smell of his mother’s perfume and the sound of his brother’s shitty punk band in the basement no matter how much he complained about it being too loud before. When his friends would invite him over to play video games and eat pizza, laughing the whole time until he had to sprint to be home before it was too dark, so his father wouldn’t ground him._

_Nowadays it was all so confusing, nothing was permanent, he could count on no one else asides from himself and that was on the good days. Everything was different now._

_His thoughts turned to Emmet and Rose, the kind seniors who made his day 10 times better, who took him home when it was raining and made him feel welcome. Emmet made him laugh and was always there to give him a hand even if he didn’t think he needed it at the time. Rose always knew what to say to make him feel better and made his day brighter. His breathing began to even out, the sobs stopped becoming hiccups and the world stopped spinning. This didn’t mean the tears stopped though, they still raced down his face._

_Footsteps echoed in his mind._

_Looking up he saw a shadow of a person, they were lingering behind the trees under the cover of the night. Bright amber eyes gazed at him as Aedi watched with baited breath. But he wasn’t scared._

_In the back of his mind, he knew that the person wouldn’t hurt him._

_“Hello” he called out nervously, hit heart beating like a jackhammer against his chest._

_The figure shifted slightly, the moonlight cast down on their dark skin and illuminated their wild hair._

_“Aedi” the figure breathed, their eyes drinking in the boy slumped against a fallen tree._

_An overwhelming sense of calm washed over him and Aedi couldn’t quite believe what he was feeling, he wanted to be scared, to be terrified in fact. But their voice was so soothing and soft, it sent tiny shivers down his spine and made his head feel light._

_“Wake up!”_

He woke with a start. Shooting up in bed, Thomas made a grumbled sound. “Aiden go to sleep” he groaned, trying to pull the boy back down.

Aedi’s head was spinning though, he squeezed his eyes shut as his heart kept beating a thousand miles per hour. “I’m gonna go get a drink” he mumbled, stumbling out of bed. Thomas huffed but let him leave the room.

Padding towards the kitchen, Aedi mulled over his dream. He often had nightmares; the first part of his dream was quite a regular occurrence. Rubbing his chest to sooth the ache that had formed there, Aedi thought of his mother.

She was a fierce woman who brightened every room she walked into with a dazzling smile and a laugh as loud as a car horn. His Dad had often joked that when he first met the unstoppable force that was Kala Danekar, he nearly had his face blown off by her laugh. But then his Father would always say that Dad was just joking and that he found Kala’s laugh very beautiful, even though it had enough force to scare a small child. Aedi and his brother would both laugh at them all before Kala would tut, hiding her own grin. Aedi smiled as he remembered them all together, when he was younger, he was playfully disgusted when he found them lying together on the sofa; or cooking together while the radio played Desi classics. He wanted that kind of relationship.

When Thomas found the family photo he kept underneath his pillow, he was disgusted. He said that love should be between two people and that it was highly slutty of anyone who wanted more than one person in their life. Aedi had found this amusing considering Thomas’s idea of love was between a fifteen-year-old and a twenty-six-year-old. What had upset Aedi however, was when Thomas tore the photo to shreds and made him burn it that evening. He had kicked, screamed and cried as he watched the faces of his family members burn. It was the only photo he had of them all.

It had been a bright summers day. They were in Germany, celebrating his parents tenth wedding anniversary. They were all stood outside of the café where they all met for the first time, way before either him or Sai were born. Aedi remembered the photo being taken.

The sun was beating down on them and his cheeks were dark with sunburn. The smells of good food wafted in the air and the sound of people chatting and laughing filled the streets. Earlier on in the day, they had been to the water park where Wolfgang had worked at when he was a teenager and had just cleaned up at the hotel room before travelling to the café to enjoy a meal. One of the workers had offered to take a photo and it was one of the only photos his family owned where they were all together.

Kala was stood off to the left in traditional Indian wear, her hair was uncovered however, and she wore her signature grin as Raga’s hand rested comfortably around her waist. His father Raga was also smiling as he looked down at Aedi and his brother Sai. He was wearing a plain blue button down and beige shorts, an outfit the Kala often teased was the only thing he knew how to wear well. Wolfgang was stood next to him, kissing his cheek as he avoided looking at the camera. Raga would always try and get his husband to look at the camera and smile, but Wolfgang would never agree, saying that he would offended anyone who looked at the picture.

His blonde hair was cropped close to his head and Aedi would always pick out the faint scar which always looked more prominent when his Dad shaved that side of his head. Wolfgang would always tell him that it was from when he was little and did stupid things with Felix, but as Aedi grew older, he knew that it was from the time that his parents refused to talk about. Aedi and Sai were stood in front of them all, smiling widely with their arms thrown across each other’s shoulders. Sai being the older brother, was always taller than him (which he constantly teased him about) and his skin was slightly darker than Aedi’s, seeing as Raga was his biological Dad and Aedi’s was Wolfgang. They were never treated any differently however and Aedi loved both of his fathers equally.

He loved them all so much and every day with out them was like another stab to his heart. When they were killed, Aedi was immediately taken in by Thomas, pretty much the next day. He wasn’t allowed to contact any of his parent’s friends. Uncle Felix, Nomi, Lito, Capheus and everyone else probably thought he had died with them. That was two years ago, if they thought he was alive, they would have found him by now. Especially Auntie Nomi, her and her wife would have defiantly found him. They were a wiz at computers and Aedi always found them a little scary when they had their minds set on something. Aedi sighed. He would do anything to have them all back.

He pulled out his phone to distract himself and saw five texts from Rosalie;

_Aedi, I’m so sorry about earlier. Are you okay? Emmet said that you were in the Nurse’s office_

_Honey, Emmet isn’t mad at you, please answer his messages_

_Aedi, are you okay?_

_Are you home alright?_

_Aedi, please answer the phone_

There were a few from Emmet as well;

_Buddy I’m always here for you, not matter what time of day. I’m sorry that I disturbed you today, Carlisle said that you were probably just experiencing sensory overload_

_Aedi, can I call you?_

_Are you at home?_

_Please tell me you’re okay I’ll wait up for you, please call me when you get this_

Guilt pooled in his stomach and he looked at the clock “02:35am” ‘Emmet’s probably asleep’ Aedi thought, slumping down in the dining room chair, letting his hair brush on the table as he looked over at his phone.

His thumb hovered over the call button. Aedi bit his lip and pressed it. The phone rang for around 0.0000001 seconds before Emmet’s relieved voice came though the small speaker. “ _Aedi! Are you alright?!_ ” he asked, voice rushed and clearly concerned.

“I’m alright Em, Tom came to get me and then we got caught up, so I haven’t checked my phone. I’m sorry” he asked, ashamed as his face burned with embarrassment.

 _“No buddy, it’s alright. I understand, it’s fine. I promise. I was just worried earlier because I went back to the Nurse’s office later and you were gone, you usually text or call if you leave so I was just concerned. Rosie said I was over-reacting but y’know how I get and gosh you worried me and then you wouldn’t answer the phone and that’s not like you at all-”_ Emmet continued to ramble and Aedi found himself comforted by his friend’s words.

A warmth settled in his chest as he thought about what Emmet had said first, he _had_ come back to the Nurse’s office to find him.

“Emmet chill out” he laughed, feeling lighter than he had in days, “I’m fine, everything is good and I’m coming into school tomorrow. You can interrogate me then” he nursed the cup of tea in his hands as he heard Emmet let out a chuckle, “ _Sorry Aed, I ramble when I’m upset_ ” he confessed, Aedi could practically see him running a hand through his hair.

“Don’t worry about me Em”

“ _Well you make that kinda hard squirt_ ” Aedi scoffed, “thanks Emmet, your words fill me with joy” Emmet’s booming laugh traveled over the speaker. Aedi winced and held the phone away from his ear but couldn’t wipe the smile of his face at the sound of his friend’s laughter.

“ _Okay then Aedi, I’ll see you at school tomorrow_ ”

“See ya Em”

The call ended and Aedi continued to smile, wrapped up in the feeling of happiness that always settled in him when he was around the older boy. He just couldn’t be sad talking to his excitable friend. Emmet was like a puppy, he was very loving and excitable. But he wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn’t afraid to show how he was feeling, which Aedi appreciated a lot because despite the fact that strong emotions made him slightly nervous, it was always easy to tell what Emmet was feeling, making it a lot easier for Aedi to gauge how to communicate with him.

The lights in the corridor turned on and Aedi quickly shoved his phone in the pocket of his sleep shorts, resting his hands on the table and staring intently at the scar on the middle of his thumb.

A strong hand came down to rest on his shoulder and Thomas rested his head on the other side, his mouth pressing a kiss to his head. “Aiden, what are you doing up?” he asked sleepily, his other hand wandered to rest on his stomach. Aedi relaxed under the touch and despite how against it he was, he couldn’t help but feel comforted by Tom.

“Bad dream” he muttered. Thomas rubbed circles into his stomach and kissed him again, “poor boy…. will some hot chocolate make you feel any better?” he asked and Aedi caved, nodding his head.

Tom quickly got to work, pulling the milk out and heating it on the stove. He also got some of the fancy chocolate cookies his mother sends over every few months and placed them on the table in front of Aedi. He hummed as he worked and Aedi just watched as he practically danced around the kitchen in just his boxers. Eventually everything was ready.

Tom sat opposite him, placing both Aedi’s Hufflepuff mug and his plain black mug on the table. Aedi picked his up and nursed it in his hands, enjoying the warmth that radiated from the mug and the delightful smell which wafted up into his nose. Hot chocolate was one of his favourite things, especially Tom’s. He used fancy chocolate squares and mixed tiny bits of cinnamon in too.

“What was the dream about Aiden” Tom asked, his thumb slowly rubbing up and down Aedi’s arm. Something the boy was sure was meant to be comforting but instead made his skin crawl. He tried to push the annoyance away however and just decided to focus on answering the question. “Same as usual, the woods and my fa- the other people” he replied quietly.

Tom tutted and frowned, “those people are gone Aiden. You can’t change that, dreaming about them and mourning is not going to bring them back. I know this is upsetting but you have me now. We have each other. You don’t need them.”

Aedi felt the tears welling up. He _did_ need them though.

He wanted to lie down and watch silly television with his mother in the evening while his father cooked dinner in the kitchen and his Dad and Sai played on the Xbox upstairs. He wanted to play football with his brother and learn how to shoot with his Dad. He wanted to go on holiday and experience all of the different cultures and food. He wanted to go to the family parties and learn about acting with Lito and Hernando. Sun and Felix would teach him how to defend himself while his father looked on with worry as he landed particularly hard on his back for the fourth time that evening. Then Riley and Will would scope him up in a big hug, make him watch some old cop movie so Will could tell him all about his time in the force and about how he followed in his Dad’s footsteps.

It was so frustrating not being able to tell Thomas these things, he wanted to talk about it. But Thomas was always angry, even if he was feeling another emotion. Aedi could never tell.

“Yeah, I have you Tom. Thanks for the hot chocolate, it really helps” he half smiled.

Thomas beamed at him and Aedi felt a small stab of affection for the man, “pleasure Aiden, always here to help.”

/////

A few miles away, Jasper was pacing his room. Even though he’d never met Aedi, he could tell the emotions he was feeling lately were coming from his mate. There was so much frustration, anger and sadness. Jasper punched the wall, his fist hitting and denting the metal pillar which was hidden beneath the dry wall which his fist had gone straight through. He wanted desperately to go and find him, to take him and never let go. He wanted him out of his foster dad’s house and with him and Alice. They could keep him safe and well cared for, unlike that piece of shit who called himself a guardian.

“Jasper…” Alice said, walking into the room. She was dressed in jeans and a loose jumper, but still managed to look like the most beautiful woman on the planet. Jasper smile affectionately, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. Alice pulled on his shirt and into a kiss. He sighed and wrapped his arms around his, resting his head on hers.

“What’s wrong love” she asked warmly, running her hand up and down her mate’s side to try and calm him down.

Jasper relaxed at the motion and allowed himself to let his emotions out, “I just want Aedi to be safe, he’s so lost at the moment and there’s nothing we can do” he choked.

Alice held him tighter, “I visited him in a dream tonight, he relaxed when I spoke to him. He was coming down from a panic attack… I’ll see if I can do it a little more, just help him sleep and Jazz, if you can feel his emotions, maybe you can try and change them a little like usual. Just send him some positive feelings and we’ll start to focus on how we’ll meet him. It can’t be at school, we’ll have to figure something else out. Just in case…”

Jasper sighed, he had the best girl,

“I love you so much darlin’ I’d probably go crazy without you” he mumbled into her hair,

“I love you more Jazz, don’t worry, we’ll see him soon.”

Jasper sure hoped they did.

/////////

Hellllooooo,

So, this was done a lot faster than I expected. I’ve just finished sense 8 the TV show and I got a little carried away so now Aedi’s family are the characters from that show. I just really love them and gah! They aren’t going to play a huge role, so I just thought fuck it and put them in. I feel that giving Aedi polyamorous parents will also help him accept his relationship with Alice and Jasper too so win, win I guess.

Hope you guys are all okay and that you enjoyed this chapter. As always feedback is appreciated!

Fraser x


	5. Chapter 5

“Emmet! Don’t you dare” Rosalie growled, watching her husband reach for the phone.

It was lunch time at Forks High School, the Cullen’s and Aedi were sat at their regular table. Emmet and Aedi were laughing and joking, the smaller boy’s face flushing as he tried to control his laughter. Emmet was telling them about the time they went on holiday to Mexico and Rosalie had a rather _unfortunate_ run in with the local police.

Emmet was about to tell his friend a particularly embarrassing moment and was about to pull out his phone to prove it when Rosalie drew the line and snapped at him. “I swear Emmet, if you carry on I will beat you” she threatened lifting her hand to point at him, although there was no heat to her words and a faint smile was playing in her lips. Emmet just smiled sheepishly and whispered something in Aedi’s ear, which Rosalie chose to ignore as the boy burst into loud laughter.

It echoed around the cafeteria and everyone turned to look at them, it was strange seeing the Cullen’s laughing and joking. They were usually so serious. “So Aedi, what are you doing tonight?” Edward asked, trying to divert the attention away from them. Aedi’s head shot up from where he was laughing with Emmet and looked confused for a split second before answering his friend’s question. “Boxing, I go to classes on Tuesday” he said, shrugging his shoulders. Aedi did like boxing, it just wasn’t his favourite thing to do. He loved keeping in shape but just didn’t see the appeal of hitting someone or trying to gain one up on someone else.

“Ohhhh so that’s where you go on Tuesday nights, I thought you were just sat in front of the TV eating pints of ice cream” Emmet huffed, Aedi just rolled his eyes and shoved his shoulder slightly, “oh piss off. I think you’re getting me and you mixed up” he laughed knowing full well Emmet was joking. The older boy gasped “Aedi, you think I got this buff by eating ice cream” he said, showing off his arms. Aedi chuckled, “alright Spartacus.”

Rosalie frowned at him, “I didn’t think you were the type to want to fight Aed” she asked curiously. Aedi shrugged his shoulders again, “I’m not” he replied, his voice clipped. Emmet gave him a funny look, “why do it then?” he questioned, not understanding why his friend would do something he didn’t enjoy. “Thomas wants me to keep fit, the self defence is good too” he replied, clearly wanting the conversation to move on.

Edward tensed as he watched the memories run through Aedi’s mind. He was being held by his throat against a wall by Thomas, frantically kicking his legs out and pulling on the older man’s hands as his brain was deprived of oxygen. He was gasping, “Tom, Tom p-please” he choked out. His guardian just grinned wider and his grip tightened, “come on Aiden, that’s not what I call begging.” At this point, Aedi’s face was blue and he was slipping in and out of consciousness. He gurgled something Edward didn’t understand, and his hands fell from their place on Thomas’s. The man’s face turned to one of disgust as he dropped the boy. Aedi crumpled onto the floor as he spluttered and gasped for breath. “Thank you, sir,” he said, voice scratchy and weak. Thomas just laughed at him, “next time, I won’t be so lenient” he scoffed, before walking off, leaving Aedi crying on the ground.

The memory flicked by, this time, Thomas was kicking the small boy as he lay on the concrete floor behind their house. Aedi had his hands over his face, trying to shield his features from the cruel force of his foster father’s boots.

Next, Aedi was being held under water in the bath. Thomas was above him gripping his neck. There was fire in his eyes as he dunked Aedi under for a few seconds, then yanked him back up before putting his head under the water again. Edward looked on in absolute horror as the boy eventually passed out, his head smacking against the side of the bath, splitting his forehead open. The blood started spilling into the water. Thomas just scowled and let his slide out of his grip and onto the tiled floor. Aedi’s body hit the tiles which a loud ‘smack!’ Once again, Thomas walked away, leaving the poor boy to clean himself up as he eventually came around.

Thomas was on top of Aedi. He was hot and sweaty, panting as he pulled on Aedi’s long hair. “Fuck Aiden” he groaned. Edward went pale, and instantly felt truly disgusted. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Aedi is a child! He ripped himself out of the boy’s head and for the first time since he had been turned, Edward felt like he was going to be sick. That poor, poor boy.

“I’ve got to go” he managed to choke out before nearly sprinting out of the cafeteria, leaving the confused, Rosalie, Emmet and Aedi behind. Edward stormed out to behind the school and sunk to the floor, bringing his knees into his chest. They knew that Thomas was hurting Aedi, but they didn’t think he was doing that with him. Edward knew that if he could, he would have thrown up all over the concrete at that point.

Yanking his phone out of his pocket, he dialed Jasper’s number. His brother picked up straight away.

“ _What is it? Is it Aedi?!_ ” He asked frantically, Edward never called unless something was wrong, and he was already on edge.

“Are you with Alice?” he asked, trying to keep calm.

“ ** _Yes Edward, I’m here. What’s wrong_**?”

“Thomas’s abusive is a lot more serious than we thought… h-he’s been sleeping with...” Edward whispered, his voice caught in his throat as Aedi’s memories replayed in his mind.

“ _No_ ” Jasper cried, tugging on his hair and not wanting to think that what Edward was implying was true.

At the Cullen house, Alice remained still, she couldn’t believe it. Not their Aedi. They knew Thomas was evil, but this.

“I’ll kill him” she said, her voice cold as ice.

“I’ll fucking kill him!” she screamed, flying off the handle and pacing around the room.

Jasper was also pacing, but caught her shoulder to steadying her, “we need to get him out of there” he said. They knew that Aedi wasn’t safe with Thomas, but this took it to a whole new level.

“Edward, you still there?” Jasper called out, he got a faint reply of “ _yes_ ” through the phone speakers. “Tell Aedi to come back here tonight, Alice and I will scope out his house and make a plan, he will not be going home to that monster ever again” he said, making his point clear as his eyes melted from a bright amber to a deep pitch black.

He would drain the bastard before he got his hands on their mate again.

Back at Forks High School, Edward shuddered at the dark tone of his brother’s voice, but he agreed before ending the call. _This had to end._

////

It was the end of the day. Edward, Edward and Rosalie had managed to convince Aedi to skip boxing and come back to their house.

Aedi was excited, he been to the Cullen’s house once before, during lunch when Emmet had forgotten something. He’d met Carlisle and Esme who were both wonderful and Aedi kinda wished that if he were to have new parents, it would be them. They had a free period after lunch as well, so they stayed at the house for a few hours. He was looking forward to seeing them both again and spending more time with Emmet and Rose.

Granted, he didn’t actually have permission to go, but he was excited nonetheless. They were making their way across school from Edward's lesson towards the car park, where Emmet’s jeep was. The larger boy had his arm wrapped around his shoulders and was laughing with Edward about something that just happened in their history class in the morning.

Strangely since lunch, Emmet had been acting funny with him. He wasn’t usually an affectionate person with Aedi, only Rosalie, but he had been pulling him into hugs and wrapping his arm around his shoulder, like he was doing now. It started happening after he went to the toilet during lunch. When he came back, Emmet and Rose looked as if someone had just killed a puppy. He’d sat down, and Emmet immediately pulled him into a hug.

_“What’s this for?” he mumbled into his friend’s shoulder._

_“Edward just gave us some bad family news squirt, don’t worry about it” he replied, gripping Aedi a little tighter._

_“Alright then, if you need me I’m here Em” he said, wanting to there for him._

_Emmet chuckled, but it wasn’t like his usual booming laugh, it was a sad laugh. Something Aedi never thought he’d here from him._

_“It’ll be alright Aedi, just wanted a hug that’s all” “Don’t worry about it, whatever you need”_

Aedi just hoped they were all alright, he knew what bad family news was often like. Except the last time he had bad family news was that his had been killed. A fresh wave of sadness smothered him. It had been a little over two years since he last saw his parents and brother alive, instead of in a coffin. His Dad had always been the best at making him feel better and his Mum would make the best pancakes when any of them had had a bad day.

Aedi tried to shake the bad thoughts away before anyone noticed, but it was too late.

“You okay Aed?” Emmet asked, his face concerned.

Aedi nodded his head, “I’m good, just thinking about my family” he replied, trying to be honest.

“Oh, you’ve never spoken about them before. What were they like?” Rosalie asked, always the curious one.

“Great” Aedi sighed, feeling melancholy as he told the three of them about Kala, Raga, Wolfgang and Sai. About all the travelling they did and of their friends who lived all over the world but got together twice a year and spent Christmas together.

“Once when I was little we went to Germany to see Dad’s family. Father got so sick on the plane though that he was unable to leave the hotel room. Dad refused to leave his side, saying that his partner was more important than all the family in the world. My Mum thought he was being ridiculous, so she invited all of his family to come around to our room. We spent the night watching films together and eating Auntie Lisa’s cooking. Uncle Felix told Dad he was a hopeless romantic and if they weren’t all together until they died then love wasn’t real…” Aedi paused, he guessed Felix was right, after all, his parents did die together.

“They all sound awesome Aedi, especially your Dad, he sounds badass. It was a struggle trying to get Rose to date me, he actually had to get _two already married_  people to date him” Edward commented, flashing him a bright smile. Aedi didn’t have one to return though, he just nodded in thanks, burying himself into Emmet’s side a little more, thankfull that his friend always seemed to know what to say.

“Yeah, they were great. I miss them a lot” he said, feeling the tears well up. Emmet stopped to pull him into a proper hug. The younger boy was happy that the corridor they were in was empty as he started to cry softly into the older boy’s shirt. “It’s alright buddy, I got you” Emmet soothed, running his hand through Aedi’s hair, his heart breaking as he listened to his best friend cry.

“They would be so proud of you Aedi” Rosalie said, trying to comfort him as well, she rested a hand on his shoulder and pulled out some tissues from her bag. Aedi peeked his head out and grabbed one, wiping away his tears.

“Thanks guys” he mumbled, letting go of Emmet and dropping his head down, so he didn’t have to look at anyone. “Any time Aedi, any time” Emmet said as they finally made it to the car park. He grabbed Rosalie’s hand and led them over to where his car was.

“Y’know my name isn’t actually Aedi Parks” he said absentmindedly, Edward gave him a funny look, “what do you mean?” he asked. “Before Thomas, my legal name was Aedi Felix Dandekar-Bogdanow, but when I was fostered. Thomas said that it was no American name, so he filed for it to be changed to Aiden Thomas Parks, guess he just wanted to be possessive” Aedi replied, “but I still by Aedi, I hate Aiden. My Dad chose my name, it’s the only gift from him I have left.”

“What a bastard” Emmet said scowling, “I swear to god when you turn 18 we’re taking you to the court and getting your name changed back” he vowed, Aedi chuckled, he’d probably be dead by then.

By this point they had finally reached the jeep, Aedi was just about to get into the back seat when they heard a car horn. He instinctively looked up and instantly regretted it. Thomas was there in his Mercedes, looking absolutely furious. Busted. “Aiden Thomas Parks” Thomas called out, not trying to hide his anger at all. Aedi let out a long breath at hearing his legal name and got out of Emmet’s jeep, he started to make his way over his foster dad’s car when Emmet got in front of him, blocking his path.

“Fuck off Parks” he challenged, practically growling at the older man. Aedi’s stomach rolled and he felt sick, what was Emmet doing!

“What did you say young man?” Thomas yelled, getting out of the car and squaring up to Aedi’s friend. Aedi panicked and grabbed Emmet’s arm, “please Em leave it, just go home” he cried, not wanting his friend to be hurt by Thomas.

“Aiden, what is the meaning of this. I told you to stay away from the Cullen’s and now what are you doing?! Spinning your web of lies and manipulating them, I bet you’ve told them a lot haven’t you Aiden, I took you in when you were vulnerable. This is how you repay me!” He screamed, not being able to control his anger. Aedi was physically shaking and cowered behind Emmet, he couldn’t bare to look at Thomas.

“Look at what you are doing to him Mr Parks, Aedi is fucking terrified of you, it doesn’t take an idiot to see that you’ve abusing him” Rosalie snapped, losing her temper looking at the shaking form of their newest companion.

“Abusing?! _You think I am abusing Aiden?_! I _saved_ him from abuse. His family were a bunch of crazies, he had three parents all sleeping with each other for god sake! I wouldn’t be surprised if his issues stem from those bastards. Autism, what a faker, it’s clearly because his ‘parents’ didn’t know how to act like normal human beings because they were so slutty and caught up in their own sex lives to even notice their sons. I'm glad that they died, less scum on this earth the better” Thomas scoffed.

Aedi was blinded by fury, Thomas had said things about his family in the past, but nothing of this magnitude. “Don’t you dare speak about my parents like that you CREEP!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. He went to launch himself at the man when Rosalie grabbed his arm, she didn't want Thomas to hurt him. "I hate you!! I fucking _hate you_ , you good for nothing bastard!" he yelled in frustration. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and an all of his feeling were so overwhelming.

Thomas stilled, “what did you just say to me?” his voice had softened and become deadly. Aedi immediately regretted his words, all of the anger and pent up emotion built up inside of him evaporated almost the second after Thomas closed himself off as he realised just what he had done. “Get in the car Aiden, right now” his foster Dad demanded, turning on his heel and getting in. Aedi didn’t even hesitate, he tried to push past Emmet, but the older boy caught his arm. “You can’t go back with him, please don’t go” he begged. Aedi was almost tempted to listen to him when Thomas’s cold voice cut through, “Mr Cullen. Get your hands-off Aiden before I call the police” he said completely calm.

Emmet looked around at his family, completely at a loss. They couldn’t let him go back, they just couldn't, Thomas would kill him.

“We’ll follow them back Emmet, we can break in and kill the bastard, then get Aedi. We don’t want police involved, they can't have any leverage on them. Let him go” Edward said, quiet enough that only vampires would be able to hear his words. “We can’t Eddie, what if they get away? What if Thomas injures him before we get there. We can't protect him when we're not with him” he asked, panicking as Aedi got closer to getting in the car. “They won’t Emmet, we know where they live, it’s alright, we'll get him back”

Emmet watched as they drove off, what the fuck had they just done.

 

////////

Shit is starting to get real, buckle up kids, the next few chapters are pretty wild. 

Comments, feedback and kudos are appreciated as always, 

Fraser x 


	6. Chapter 6

Emmet shifted uncomfortably on the bed; he was lying on his back looking up at the white ceiling. Body restless with anxiety, his arms and legs twitching every couple of minutes.

They couldn’t find him.

They had been out searching, hoping to catch his scent. Been through the files at school late at night, even looked through the files in the police station. They couldn’t find his real address anywhere, all the addresses the files had written down weren’t even occupied, just fucking empty. He’s become snappy in the last few days, even with Rose, his beautiful Rosalie.

Emmet sighed and ran a hand through his hair; he was just so worried about Aedi. He didn’t know if he’d been taken, was sick or injured. He’d wanted to go to the hospital to interrogate his foster Dad but Carlisle had said that the bastard had taken a two week holiday. Rose had suggested that they may have actually just gone on holiday but when Emmet had asked the receptionist at school about Aedi being absent she said that Aedi had been withdrawn from the school.

It just didn’t make sense to Emmet. He knew that what happened at the school was bad, but it didn't explain why Thomas would pull Aedi out of school and then fall off the grid. 

He closed his eyes, hoping that maybe if he just relaxed and rested for a while he would be more refreshed in a couple of hours.

What Emmet didn’t notice was that as soon as he closed his eyes unconsciousness claimed him.

////

When Emmet opened his eyes he was standing in the forest, his family surrounding him. They were out hunting.

“Oh come on Rose, don't be such a spoilsport" Emmet grinned flaunting his blood covered shirt, the upturned nose was all the answer Emmet needed, he just shrugged. "Emmet as much as I love you, I prefer to eat my food with manners, you might have heard of them before" she laughed but was quickly cut off when Emmet tackled her into a hug. She screeched with distaste but couldn’t help but laugh as her husband chuckled against her. “Emmet!” she yelled in mock anger before pushing him, not before stealing a quick kiss.

A small smile graced her elegant face and Emmet couldn’t help but beam at her feeling completely elated at the fact he was spending time with his mate. But there was a feeling of chilling despair in the centre of his chest, he rubbed at it absent-mindedly.

Rose noticed the sudden change in her partner and came closer to him, “what’s wrong Em?” she asked but had a sinking feeling in her stomach. “I miss him,” Emmet said with a shrug trying to not let his real emotions surface.

He had only spent a few weeks with the boy but a bond had formed between the both of them and Emmet felt extremely protective of him, he had asked Jasper about it and explained that it could be something called ‘empathetic blending’ and that Emmet was probably experiencing the start of a bond that would usually occur between a parent and child. The ache in his chest only grew with each day he was away from Aedi.

They hunted throughout the rest of the day and Emmet tried hard to make the ache in his chest disappear but he could only feel it growing stronger.

It was nearing the end of the day and they were about to head home when he smelt it. Aedi. He was close.

Emmet took off, ignoring the shouts and hollers of his family as he ran blindly towards the scent. He ran for around five minutes before spotting Aedi. He was sat on the edge of the cliff, legs hanging off the edge. Emmet felt his breath catch in his throat. He wanted so badly to just run over and whisk Aedi away but he knew he had to be careful. He slowly began to edge over.

"Aedi" Emmet said softly sitting down next to the boy who was picking at some sort of cereal bar with distaste, trying to disguise his red-rimmed eyes and the tear tracks on his face. "Why are you up here by yourself buddy? It's a long, long way from Forks. Where have you been?!" the vampire asked trying to keep his voice, low, calm and quiet to not overwhelm the boy.

Aedi kept quiet for a few moments "why are you here Emmet? It’s a long, long way from Forks" he then replied voice monotone, "well my family take camping trips every once in a while, we're out on one now. If you turn around you'll see. That's my Dad Carlisle, my mom Esme, you know Rose, Bella and Edward" Aedi looked behind him and true to Emmet’s word they were all there, all stood there, watching him.

"I want to be on my own at the minute Emmet if you don't mind, I'm sure your family has places to be," he said feeling extremely uncomfortable. "No can do bud, we can't exactly leave you sat here dangling your feet over a 150 ft tall ledge," Emmet said smiling sadly; "why are you here Aedi? Where have you been?" he then asked again.

"My foster Dad’s cabin in the woods near capital peak...You know Emmet, there's no cell phone reception up here Emmet, no one can contact me. I can sit here, look over the mountains and actually think" Aedi paused, "I can die up here Emmet...and I could be alone while doing it" No one spoke, no one moved. "Not one person would notice, not one, nor would they even care. Tom couldn't find me, Tom couldn't even touch me. I would never have to go back to his bed. I would be able to talk to my brother, hug my mom, learn to cook with my Father and go fishing with my Dad until it’s just about dark. Then we would set the tent up and he would teach me about the stars like he did when I was little. Tom wouldn't get to me ever again even if he wanted to, if I was dead I would have the power to push him away. I could refuse him; tell him enough was enough. Watch that smirk fall right off his face when I denied him, denied him of everything he wants from me. I want that so bad Emmet, so bad that it hurts." The way the small boy said it made the Cullen's almost want to let the boy do it, he sounded almost peaceful talking about it.

But they didn't miss the slight slur to Aedi's words, the way his hands moved and his body swayed, even his blood smelt different. Something else was wrong. "Have you taken something?" Emmet asked fearing the response, "just something to ease the pain, Thomas keeps them in the cabinet above the sink, next to the bandages, and he always asks me to get the bandages, always. Y'know, Emmet, it's really hard to bandage your ass. Like Thomas said it would make sure the bleeding didn't go onto my trousers but it didn't and they were just uncomfortable. It was like the time he tried to give me stitches himself because he slipped accidentally and cut too deep. That was the first time I saw him cry...and the last.”

Aedi face twisted into something akin to disgust before he continued “He kept telling me to hang on, he would fix it. I always did think he would fix it too... but he never did. Always lying to me Thomas is; he lies to everyone else too. He told that neighbours I was his partner, I'm his foster son, his foster son. He told me he didn't want them to think it was weird when hickeys appeared on my neck when we were the only two people in the house or hear the noises at night" Aedi vented, his cheeks hot as the blood rushed to them and his breathing becoming harsher. His hands curled into fists and his nails dug into his palms as he tried to rein his emotions in.

Emmet stayed quiet for a few moments before beginning to speak again, “I could help you Aedi, if you trust me, you would never ever have to see him again. My family and I could get him locked up and you could move in with us.” Aedi grabbed Emmet’s large cold hand in his small warm one and drew careful circles over the palm of his hand with his index finger. His head rested on Emmet’s shoulder as he began to speak again, this time his voice soft and sad “I’d love to, I’d really, really love too” he paused then sighed deeply, anger finally completely dissipated, “and I believe that you could get Thomas away from me at least physically but” Aedi let go of Emmet’s hand and looked out into the distance, tears dancing in his eyes threatening to spill and his voice cracking “Thomas will always be with me, he will always linger on my mind. Be the devil crouched on my shoulder; his voice will haunt my day telling me all of these stupid things. His touch will haunt my dreams; I will feel his breath on my neck, h-his hand on my thigh... and his lips on mine” Aedi shivered feeling so violated and dirty, as he was talking about it.

He could physically feel Thomas with him; he lifted his hand to touch his lips, just to remind himself that Thomas wasn’t there. He shook his head, “I see him everywhere now, what about in ten years time? Will things have changed? No. I will never be clean from him. I’ll always be dir-“ he paused “I’ll always be dirty” The boy looked down into his lap as tears began to spill from his eyes and run down his face, he tried to wipe them away but the attempt was futile, they were coming thick and fast. His vision began to blur and all he wanted was the ground to open up and swallow him whole because all of his thoughts were suffocating him and making it hard to breathe.

Emmet didn’t say anything, only pulled Aedi into his arms, letting the boy’s tears run onto to his shirt as he finally broke. “ _M’tired_ Emmet” he cried out completely drained, slumping against the vampire and simply allowing himself to be pulled away from the edge. “I know you are buddy, it’s so hard and you’ve been incredibly brave. I love you so so much” the vampire muttered cradling the boy in his chest.

“I just want it to be over, please make it st-stop” Aedi sobbed burying himself into Emmet’s chest and balling his hands into the vampire’s shirt. Emmet’s face, which was originally soft, covered in guilt and sympathy, hardened when he started to make a vow to the boy he was cradling ever so carefully “I finish this Aedi and I will fight for you, just like Rose will too. We’re going to look after you from now on and Thomas won’t ever see you again. I promise you will never even have to think of him again when I’m finished.”

/////

And with that Emmet opened his eyes. Rosalie was over him along with the rest of his family. Emmet bolted up, his eyes wide. “Emmet!!” Rosalie cried, clinging onto him, “we didn’t know what was wrong with you, it was like you were asleep” she said, grief coating her voice. Emmet wrapped his arms around her “I-I don’t know what happened, I just closed my eyes and when I opened them, I was at that hunting spot we used to go to in the Olympic national park. And I saw Aedi, I spoke with him” Emmet said, his voice rushed.

A knot of emotion formed in his throat, Aedi had said things to him that would haunt him for the rest of his life, he was sure that if he had the ability, tears would be streaming down his face. Emmet closed his eyes as he tried to push the sadness away in order to think about whether Aedi had told him where he was being kept. Then it clicked; the woods just by the capital peak. Emmet remembered seeing a little cabin not too far away from there when they had been hunting before. Emmet rushed out of bed and was about to run out of the door when Edward caught him. “Emmet! What the hell are you doing?!” he yelled, Emmet looked around at his family, “I know where he is!”

////

///

Hey guys, 

Sorry, this chapter is late, I went on holiday and my whole schedule was thrown off. Anyways, I'm back now and I will hopefully be updating tomorrow or Friday. 

Thanks for reading! All kudos and comments are greatly appreciated, I would love to know what you guys think!!!!

Much love, 

Fraser x


	7. Chapter 7

_**TW** _

_**Child abuse** _

_**Character death, murder** _

_**Torture** _

 

Aedi was sat at his desk in the corner of the living room, doing some work Thomas had asked him to do that morning before he went out. He looked over at the clock, Thomas had been gone an hour but had said that he would be gone for three. Aedi bit his lip; he could search for a phone, try and call Emmet so he could rescue him.

Last night he had even dreamed he was sat on top of a large cliff overlooking this beautiful forest. Everything had been still and quiet, Tom was nowhere to be seen. All of his bruises had disappeared and the uncomfortable ache was no more. It had been so peaceful, then Emmet had found him and he almost wept with joy. But he’d also felt so _numb_. It had been nice to have Emmet with him, he could tell him everything. But it made the ache in his chest worse. He missed Emmet and Rose so much and to wake up without them.

A tear slipped down his face and onto the piece of paper, he just wanted to be with them, safe and not an object ruled by Thomas. If he could just find a phone... He shoved the thoughts down. No, that would be stupid.

What was he even thinking, Aedi scolded himself Thomas had told him not to go looking at anything and that he was to stay at his desk and do his work the entire time he was gone. He also told Aedi that Emmet and Rosalie weren’t to be trusted, that they were just taking pity on him, he didn’t need them. It felt wrong to even think of those words though. The conflict in Aedi’s mind was almost unbearable so instead of pondering on it all he tried to carry on with the work but found himself distracted by the thoughts of finding a phone. It would only take like fifteen minutes to have a search. He had like two hours as well.

Getting up, Aedi felt a small amount of adrenaline course through his body at the thought of disobeying Thomas.

He started in the kitchen, looking through all of the drawers and cupboards. Upon finding nothing he started on the living room but once again found nothing. Moving onto the bedroom, Aedi crawled under the bed, his feet sticking out of the bottom as he rummaged through all of the boxes that Thomas had stored under there. Nothing. Sighing he got up and walked up to the door where Thomas’s office was located. He reached for the handle but stopped a couple centimetres before. Thomas would be mad knowing Aedi searched in the bedroom and kitchen but he could handle it. However, this was Thomas’s _office._ A room he had never, ever been allowed to step foot in, even in the old house. Aedi couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen to him if Thomas found him looking through his stuff.

He shivered but continued on his search. He heard the wood creak, Aedi’s head snapped but and was ready to bolt but soothed his nerves, ‘this is an old place, stuff like that happens all the time.’ Looking in one of the drawers, Aedi found a photo. It was a few years ago when he was first fostered, Aedi’s hair was short and his body was a thin as a twig. He squinted as he smiled at the camera showing all of his teeth. Thomas was stood next to him, his arm wrapped around his shoulder and an effortless grin planted on his face. Not a hair was out of place on his head and his button down and jeans were immaculately clean. 

Aedi sighed; the picture had been taken just a few months before everything changed when Thomas became a man he truly feared. Back then he had been all fun and games; they stayed up watching films and made dinner together. Thomas took him to box, taught him how to defend himself against anyone, except Thomas of course. Aedi would always be under his thumb.

The door slammed open and Aedi dropped the photo in shock, he turned on his heel. Thomas was stood there, a murderous expression on his face. “I-it-it’s not w-what it l-looks like” he stammered, backing slowly into the desk. Thomas moved forward slightly and placed his hand on the rickety door. As soon as it was closed Thomas launched himself at Aedi, pushing him against the wall, one hand wrapped around his throat and the other roaming around his body. “Aiden, oh _my_ Aiden you have been such a naughty boy” Thomas purred.

His face was close to Aedi’s that his breath fogged up the young boy's glasses, his eyes seemed to bore into Aedi’s very soul and they were clouded with lust that made the boys heart race and sweat appear on the nape of his neck. Aedi had forgotten how much he hated the man but also how utterly terrified he was of him, the feeling left him completely paralysed, all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and sink into the ground. “Do you know why?” Aedi cowered under the cold stare of Thomas he was slumped against the wall tears sliding down his face while Thomas towered over him his lips curled into a grin that could only ever be described as sadistic despite the dimples shown on his cheeks. Thomas’ knuckles which were still bruised from punching the wall when Aedi had run away, brushed against the young boy's face and Aedi made a small whimper of terror making the smile on Thomas’s face only widen.

“Are you going to answer me today... _Aedi_?” he sneered, the cold voice made Aedi shiver and the use of the name that his parents gave him sent more tears down his face. “Fine you win Aiden; I guess I’ll have to teach you why,” Thomas growled his temper flaring at the fact his charge had yet to respond at all. Picking Aedi up from the back of his neck like a lioness would do to their cub Thomas dragged Aedi across the carpeted hall towards the bedroom giving the boy all sorts of friction burns. “No! No! Thomas! Please, Thomas! Put me down, please Thomas please I’m sorry, I’m sorry Tom, Tom please, _TOM, TOM!!!_ ” Aedi cried, finally speaking, as he was dragged down the hallway, the carpet burning his skin even more. He clawed at anything he could get his hands on in an attempt to get away, hands and feet flailing everywhere. Getting fed up Thomas simply threw Aedi over his shoulder but he didn’t stop, he banged his fists on Thomas’s back and kicked his legs out despite the fact they would painfully hit the wall creating dents that Thomas would surely punish him for later. But his attempts were futile, he was thrown forcefully onto the bed and before he could even think about scrambling off and making an escape, handcuffs were strapped to his ankles and then to the bedposts. His hands were left free though, Thomas always liked some struggle.

“I expected so much more from you Aiden. But to step one foot” Thomas’s face contorted into one of pure fury, as he dragged his finger up Aedi’s face and stopped just as he reached the boy's hairline. He tugged harshly on Aedi’s hair, making the boy let out a whimper of pain before carrying on speaking “in the one place where I had specifically told you to never go in. After everything that’s happened to you in the last few weeks” the man let out a cruel laugh “come _on_ I thought I had taught you _so much better_ than ** _that_** ” Thomas’ pouted using a pair of scissors to first cut of Aedi’s trousers off and then his underwear, of course, he drew the process out taking all the time in the world just to drink in the sight of Aedi’s body in its battered state, two weeks on since the incident most of the bruising was gone but the bruises that Thomas had made shone in the daylight. Also, the presents he left, the _scars,_ they were there too, they would never disappear. In all of their glory Thomas loved nothing more than running his fingers down each and every one, basking in the small whimpers and cries the boy let out. He rejoiced in the fact that Aedi’s skin would forever be claimed by him and that the boy would always belong to him; he could do whatever he wanted. Aedi was freely sobbing now unable to do anything else apart from lie there and accept whatever Thomas wanted to do, whatever Thomas wanted.

The man got up and left the room. Aedi yanked hard on the restraints but it was in vain, he was completely stuck, there was nothing he could do, he wasn’t strong enough. He couldn’t escape. It was when Thomas returned with a hair clipper and a towel did Aedi break down into utter hysteria, wailing at the top of his lungs just begging for Thomas to stop, to have mercy. Snot was running down his face and tears blurred his vision as he yanked and pulled at the handcuffs on his ankles making the skin break and bleed. Aedi didn’t care one bit about injuring himself, he just wanted the nightmare to end and to be safely tucked away with Emmet and Rose.

Aedi had kept his hair down to his shoulders for as long as he could remember, Thomas liked it for the most part, but he had asked Aedi every once in a while if he would cut it all off, he had obviously taken matters into his hands. “Aiden, keep still” Thomas ordered his voice strikingly cold and detached but after Aedi kept wriggling he simply got onto the bed, slid a towel underneath him and pulled the boy into his chest, wrapping an arm firmly around Aedi which bound his arms to his sides.

Thomas began to drag the clippers along Aedi’s head, getting rid of the beautifully long and silky hair; leaving only the smallest of amounts. Aedi sobbed the whole time his hair was shaved off but ceased struggling as he knew that there was nothing he could do, “Tom please stop, I’m sorry” he whimpered every few seconds praying that somehow if he did all of his hair would instantly grow back. “I’m so sorry, I won’t ever do it again Tom, I promise, I promise, I’m sorry.”

When all the hair was gone, however, Thomas got off the bed and pulled the towel out from underneath Aedi. “This is what bad boys get Aiden,” Thomas said shortly, fed up with the boy’s emotional state, “now stop crying and I’ll give you your real punishment.” Aedi just lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling in complete submission, his mind numb and sight blurred. Maybe if he gave Thomas what he wanted it would stop? He could go home.

There was so much blood. For the rest of the night, all Aedi saw was red, he felt sweat pouring out of his body as the new wounds were inflicted. He never did stop crying even after Thomas had stopped after he had undone the cuffs on his ankles and pulled Aedi into his chest once more to go to sleep. Aedi couldn’t sleep though; how could he? He had forgotten how humiliated, violated and ashamed Thomas always loved to make him feel, to think he had actually missed the man at times when he was away today as well. Feeling utterly disgusting, lying there all Aedi wanted was Emmet and Rose to come and rescue him, take him away forever. He _hated_ Thomas so much. He made his skin crawl and his stomach churn. He wanted to see the man hurt, to make him bleed like Thomas had done to him for years. But Aedi knew he would never have the guts to stand up to the man, he felt too attached despite the deep hatred.

Then there was a tap at the window. Aedi froze in place and lifted his head, then promptly gasped in disbelief. In the window, Emmet Cullen was stood, a furious expression on his face. It was only a few seconds before Emmet had smashed through the window, Rose on his heels. Thomas still stark naked was up in a flash shouting at the two for trespassing and how he was going to call the cops but Emmet grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the wall, rage pouring off him in a tidal wave of anger. Aedi’s eyes widened, “Emmet no!”

/////

After a few moments more of watching Thomas having the life drained out of him Aedi squeezed his eyes shut, clamped his hands over his ears and backed up against the headboard. Curling up into a ball as he tried to block out the sounds of Thomas gasping for breath, his choked out attempts of his name “A-A-Aiden” but Aedi had no more tears left to cry, he simply sobbed rocking back and forth as Thomas died in pain.

All of a sudden white noise blasted into his brain and iron nails dug deep into his skin. Aedi felt his mouth open, but he didn’t hear anything come out. He couldn’t control anything; all he could feel was the oppressive force raging throughout his entire body like a wildfire; burning its way through his bloodstream, his nerves, his heart, his fingers and toes. Nothing escaped the unbearable pain that clamped down onto every cell in his body. Aedi wanted so badly to run away from this terrible feeling but the feeling of powerlessness was overwhelming, he couldn’t do anything but lie there, crumpled up into a ball.  Words rushed around his head, but Aedi couldn’t concentrate on any of them, sounds flooded his ears, he could hear Rose panicking and Aedi felt icy fingers brush over his face, but they only made the burn worse. Aedi began to hear himself, he was chanting but it felt as if someone else was saying the words, “no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, **NO, NO, NO, NO! _NO_** _!_ ”

He felt cold hands wrap around his waist and pull him up, Aedi had no control. He lashed out, kicking, punching, biting and screaming his lungs out. He felt more pain rush through his body; felt fingers snap and his arm crunch. But then he couldn’t move at all, tears streamed down his face as he cried and cried, he felt snot run from his nose too. But none of it mattered, Thomas was dead. Aedi let out a wail of despair, he was completely overcome with so many emotions, it was too confusing for him to handle. The lights of the room were too bright, the stench of blood too heavy and the sound of his cries were way too overbearing.

Aedi felt himself be lowered back down onto the bed him and Tho-. Letting out another cry, Aedi curled up into a tight ball and began to rock back and forth, back and forth. His brain was still in overdrive, whirring with confusion and it was trying to process a million things at once when Aedi only had the capacity for a few senses and emotions at the time. The thoughts and emotions were gnawing at his brain like a flesh-eating bacteria.

His veins were then flooded with calm, Aedi relaxed and felt woozy. Then he heard it, his Rose. “Aedi, darling it’s Rose. Come on honey, please come back to us” she spoke softly, like an angel.  Her cold, delicate hand was running a hand down his cheek, wiping away a few stray tears as she looked upon him with sympathy.  Aedi nodded numbly but he couldn’t move; “what happened?” he asked weakly, voice strained and hoarse. She gave a small sigh, “we don’t know yet sweetheart, we’ll talk about it later, is that okay?” she asked when Aedi nodded, she smiled.

Then in a split second, he looked over at Thomas and froze. His eyes locked onto the dead body. The man was slumped against the wall, eyes rolled into the back of his head and a large purple bruise forming on his neck which was at a crooked angle. Aedi couldn’t believe it, he was dead.

A hand on his shoulder bought him back to reality, if only slightly. “Come on love, let’s get dressed” he heard someone say but it was like they were miles away and not standing right next to him. With shaking limbs he stood up and grabbed the clothes that Rosalie was offering him before dressing quickly knowing that they were seeing everything, all of the bruises, the scars and the blood. “That’s it, you can take a shower at home Aed,” Rose said kindly, once he was dressed in a simple hoodie, sweatpants and a pair of battered converse.

Aedi was then pulled into a bear hug by Emmet; he was lifted off the ground as the boulder of a man wrapped his arms around him. “I’m so, so sorry buddy. I’m sorry we didn’t come sooner but we had to wait to break into the social services centre because they wouldn’t tell us where you lived. I’m sorry Aedi, I’m so sorry” Emmet cried still holding him close but Aedi couldn’t bring himself to be mad and simply opted for melting into the familiar embrace despite the pain it caused him because of the wounds on his body.

He held onto Emmet for dear life partly believing that this was simply a dream and he was still in Thomas’s arms while Emmet and Rosalie forgot him. Emmet’s embrace was slowly grounding him and as he closed his eyes, he let himself be carried like a child into the car; away from Thomas, forever.

\----------------------

Emmet carefully got into the car and laid Aedi down next to him on the back seat, his head rested in his lap. He looked through the back window to see Jasper’s car following behind them. When Aedi started to freak out, he had called his brother immediately and thankfully Jas had been able to subdue the boy enough to make him safe. Emmet couldn’t shake the memories of Aedi having the meltdown though. He’d never seen a person in so much pain, so much confusion in his entire life. And he’d seen people being turned. It had hurt so much when they’d tried to comfort him and Aedi had responded with kicks, fists and teeth, he had shouted at them, screamed at the top of his lungs. It was like someone had possessed him. Jasper had nearly keeled over when he first came into contact with Aedi and it had taken him ten minutes to make Aedi even slightly calm.

They didn’t know what went wrong, well, Emmet and Rose didn’t. Jasper had told Emmet he had a feeling but would have to discuss it with Carlisle first. He didn’t have the heart to try and pry it out of his brother, Emmet was too concern about his boy.

Looking down, Emmet stared at Aedi. The kid was out cold but Emmet still held his hand and rubbed circles into his back as the car ride dragged on. Rose was gripping the wheel with a tight grip which would surely leave handprints. Her anger was understandable though; Emmet was just as disgusted but with Aedi close to him his negative emotions were dulled anyway, a fact that still confused him but despite this he could still feel them bubbling at the surface, threatening to make an appearance which could be disastrous. He wanted to scream and shout, knock down trees and to kill Thomas all over again. What they had found in that house was despicable and part of him still couldn’t believe it. The smell of Aedi’s blood mixed with sweat and other bodily fluids had sent him into a fit of rage; if he didn’t care about Aedi as much as he did he wouldn’t have been able to calm himself down and probably would have gone on a rampage.

A small whimper broke Emmet’s train of thought, he looked down at the sleeping boy whose brows were furrowed and had small beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Emmet pulled him in closer, “it’s okay buddy, you’re safe. Rosie and I have got you, it’s okay.” He mumbled, trying to reassure him. It seemed to work and Aedi was soon sound asleep again.

Silence reined upon the car for the rest of the ride the two vampires not knowing what to say to each other at such a hard time. They eventually pulled up to the house though and they simply sat there for a few moments before Rose broke the silence, “I’m glad you killed him” she said quietly. Emmet nodded, “he got what he deserved” there was a malice to his tone that Rosalie had never heard before but it was justified, that monster deserved to rot in hell.

They were silent as they got out of the car and made their way into the house. After kissing her cheek briefly Emmet walked up the stairs, still carrying Aedi in his arms. Rose sighed took one final look at Jasper for reassurance before making her way into the living room where the rest of her family were gathered; all sitting in a tense silence. Carlisle made the first move, getting up and pulling his daughter into a tight embrace. Rose hugged back, relaxing for the first time in two days. Rubbing her arm Carlisle stepped back, a tight smile on his face, “how is he?” he asked, fear present in his eyes. Rosalie sighed before sitting on the couch next to Alice who grabbed her hand, sending her a small smile.                                                                                                                                       

“We found him and Thomas in a- compromising position” she stated, chills running down her spine just thinking of it. Edward stiffened, and his eyes dilated with fury.

“That bastard, that absolute bastard” he spat, shaking in his seat as the anger rolled off him. “Aedi’s been hurt, badly. I will tend to him tonight but Carlisle would you mind looking at his injuries in the morning” when he simply nodded Rosalie continued,                                            

“When we found him, Emmet... Emmet killed Thomas. I cannot say I blame him though, if Em wasn’t there I would have murdered him myself” coldness dripped into the last few words and Edward nodded in agreement, “I would have too.”

There was quiet for a moment as the events of the evening began to sink in. However, a faint and strained cry of “Rose” echoed throughout the house. She immediately stood up and ran up to her and Emmet’s bedroom where she could smell Aedi resided. She knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before entering the room. Aedi was in there, lying on his side on the bed, a hand tucked under his head and the other playing with a loose thread on the dark blue, fluffy blanket covering him. His eyes were glossed over with tears and every few moments one would slide down his rosy cheeks; it looked as if he didn’t even have the energy to wipe them away.0

Rosalie felt her heart break in two for the boy she now considered her brother, he didn’t deserve so much pain and she was determined to give him happiness, no matter what it took.  She stood there and waited for Aedi to notice she was there but when he continued to just lie there she approached the bed and placed a hand on his upper arm. His head shot up when he realised Rose was in the room, she looked around the room trying to find her husband. “Where’s Emmet honey?” she asked softly sitting down next to him.                   

“Left, back to house,” the boy said just above a whisper, his eyes never leaving the loose thread. Rose sat there stunned, yes Aedi was quiet but he always answered questions in full and proper sentences; she sighed and ran a hand over his head. Looking at the blood smeared and tear tracks on his face as well as the scent of sweat coming from Aedi, Rosalie decided she might as well give Aedi a shower or bath while they were waiting for Emmet to get back. “Why don’t we get you into the shower then? While we wait” she said before immediately regretting her words, Aedi flinched and drew the blanket close to him, curling up into a ball. “Honey, I swear I won’t hurt you” when he didn’t move Rosalie waited a few seconds before trying again “Aedi, I promise that I won’t hurt you” he finally looked up to Rose before murmuring “promise?” Rosalie gave him a strained smile “I promise.”

It took a few seconds but then Aedi was attempting to get out of the bed, he sat up with only a small wince and swung his legs over the side so his feet were firmly planted on the floor. Rose offered a hand to help but he brushed her off determined to do it himself. He placed his hands flat on the bed and prepared to push himself up into a standing position so he could walk to the en-suite on the other side of the room. ‘Come on Aedi, you can do it’ he mentally said to himself before pushing up with all his might. But it was in vain, an almighty pain raced up every limb in his body as it protested against the movement. Aedi couldn’t help but let out a strangled yelp of pain as he fell straight back onto the bed. He lay there trying not to moan in pain, it was excruciating and seemed to swallow him but it radiated from his arm the most. “Aedi, are you okay?” he heard Rose ask, “Do you need my help?” he closed his eyes, “minute, m-my arm” he choked out and Rose’s eyes widened, “do you want me to get Carlisle?” Aedi lay there for a few seconds before he nodded his head.

Rose rushed down the stairs and quickly found her father “I think Aedi’s arm is broken” she said, Carlisle raised an eyebrow “how?”                                                                                         

Rose sighed, “I promise I will tell you later but would you mind strapping it up for now?” Carlisle nodded, “I will be up in a second”                                                                                      

“I’m just going to give him a quick shower, come up the stairs after you hear the water turned off” Rose replied before making her way up the stairs again.

When Rose re-entered the room, Aedi was lying in the same position although his broken arm was lying directly over his chest. Now she looked at it properly, she could see how it was slightly crooked. She scolded herself, she should have noticed, but the whole event was just so confusing and frightening, they didn’t have time to linger at the house and check over Aedi properly. If she had just bee- “Rose?” Aedi’s voice broke her from her train of thought. She shook her head slightly and placed a small smile on her face before walking back over to the boy. “Carlisle is going to come up after our shower, is that alright honey?” she asked him gently when he nodded Rosalie’s smile widened. “You ready to try and get back up again?” Aedi shook his head, “minute.”

Aedi lay there for a few more minutes but eventually, he was ready to try again, however, this time he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do it alone. Rose had a firm but not a painful grip on his upper arm and one of her arms was wrapped around his chest steadying him. He gently got to his feet and had to bite back a cry of pain, this was the worst he had felt for around three years and it was terrible. His back ached a different kind of pain, his throat was hoarse and dry, his legs shook, and his face burned with all the heat rushing to it as he blushed time and time again. Rose was fantastic though and helped him all the way into the bathroom despite his crippling pain. He was going to protest about having help showering but after the great disaster that was him trying to get up by himself, he just stood there, his good hand braced the wall and allowed Rose to help. A couple of tears slipped down his face as the shame and humiliation assaulted him. Aedi could hardly believe what had happened that day, he wanted to go to sleep, wake up and it all to be a dream.

Meanwhile, Rosalie was trying desperately to hide the disgust on her face. Aedi’s back was an absolute wreck, deep and vicious wounds ran up and down it, his entire back an ugly shade of red as the first few layers had been taken off in most places but there were three injuries that would definitely need Carlisle attention as they had cut quite a considerable amount deeper and had small trickles of blood still coming out of them. What was even worse though was that upon closer inspection, Rose with her excellent vision could see pieces of salt sitting in the cuts. The bastard had literally poured salt on her poor Aedi’s wounds. It was taking all of her might to stay calm and to try as best as she could to ease her boy’s pain. It was hard though, she could see his shame. She knew how it felt herself to a certain extent. Therefore she didn’t draw the process out and quickly finished, stopping the water and wrapping a towel tightly around Aedi being careful his arm. Rose led him back into the bedroom and carefully dried him off as best as she could before pulling a pair of Edwards boxers onto him and one of Emmet’s t-shirts which drowned the poor boy. Then she lifted up the covers and eased him under. Rose then climbed onto the bed and lay down next to him, taking Aedi’s good hand in her own. “Thank you” he whispered, not quite managing to reach her eyes; she smiled softly and ran her free hand through his damp hair. “It’s okay sweetheart” she replied honestly.

There as a knock on the door, “come in” Rose shouted. Carlisle entered a medical supply bag in his arms and a sympathetic look planted on his face. “Hey Aed,” he said quietly, inching his way towards the small boy, Aedi smiled “Carlisle,” he said his hand reaching out for the elder, Carlisle gladly took it and then after setting his bag down, ran a hand through Aedi’s hair. “We have all missed you so much,” he said, Aedi nodded, “me too.”

Carlisle broke the silence, “now young man, let me have a look at that arm” he lifted the comforter and gently grasped the arm which Aedi was weakly holding out to him, it was clearly broken and would need a plaster-cast. Carlisle frowned, “okay Aedi, now this does require a plaster cast but unfortunately for you, I do not have the equipment here. Don’t worry though; I’m going to work tomorrow and I can get it then. For tonight, I’m just going to wrap it up in some Ace bandage” Aedi gave a small smile and nodded, “okay.”

Carlisle had finished after a few minutes. Aedi and Rose had laid down next to each other again, Rose pulling Aedi just next to her and running a hand over his now shaved head. They lay like that for a while, Rose taking the time to appreciate the fact that Aedi was now where he belonged, he was finally home and there was no way that she would ever let him go again. Looking down at him she could see his eyes opening and closing, he was clearing fighting sleep. “Aedi, you can sleep, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you wake up” she explained, but he shook his head “don’t wanna sleep, I’ll wake up, I’ll, and I’ll wake up at h-his house,” he said distraught. Rose pulled him into a tight embrace, “No you won’t. I’ll be here and Emmet will be back any minute now.” “Promise?” he whispered meeting her eyes with his own, “I promise.” 

She had gotten halfway down the stairs before she heard the opening of the front door, “Emmet is that you?” she said and within a few seconds Emmet was by her side, kissing her briefly before saying “I had to clean up the house before anyone found it, Jasper came with me” Rose sighed and kissed her husband “thanks Em, is Jasper downstairs, I still haven’t said thanked him or even said hello yet” Emmet chuckled but nodded.  

Rose rushed down to greet her brother “Jazz” she sighed before pulling him into a bone crushing hug ignoring. “Hey Rosie” he smiled, southern accent ever-present as he teased his sister but Rose was quick to ignore him and pulled him into another hug. "How is he? That was a very nasty meltdown he had” Jasper asked; his face was twisted in concern and his eyebrows furrowed. Alice had now stepped into the corridor with them and had wrapped her arm around his waist, making sure he was okay.

The couple had heard a lot about the boy who had stolen the hearts of his family, Rosalie and Emmet in particular, and they couldn’t wait to finally meet him, especially if he was the missing piece in their relationship. Seeing him lying there in so much pain had nearly bought Jasper to his knees. Rose’s heart clenched as she took Emmet’s hand in hers seeking the comfort of her husband. “Bad, I just took him for a shower and his...” Rose took a few moments to compose herself before continuing “the abuse went so far” was all she could manage, however.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Emmet spoke “I’m going to go and check on him with Rose, could you two stay down here just until he’s settled then would you mind putting him into a deep sleep Jasper, take away the pain, he just needs a good night” Emmet said and Jasper simply nodded before the couple ventured up the stairs.

They stood outside the door. Rosalie took Emmet’s hand in hers, “Em you have to be gentle, no sudden moves, no rough hugs, nothing at all. He is very fragile, just speak quietly, hold his hand gently and we should be all good.” Emmet nodded in understanding and stood hesitantly outside of the door simply listening to Aedi’s breathing which was quiet but would occasionally hitch and they could hear the rustle of the boy tossing and turning. Something inside of him felt so uncomfortable that he couldn’t bring himself to open the door. He hadn’t managed to get a proper look of Aedi during the rescue and during the car ride his mind was going at 100 miles an hour, he didn’t think he was ready to face the severity of the damaged caused to his son by Tho-that monster.

Rosalie, however, placed her hand on Emmet’s forearm and gave him a glance of comfort before she pushed the door open silently to reveal Aedi asleep in the bed. Emmet shut his eyes for the briefest of seconds before edging into the room. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Aedi asleep and mustered up the courage to venture further into the room. Sitting down onto the bed next to the boy who even though he was asleep seemed to sense Emmet in the room and rolled over to be closer to the large vampire, Emmet’s breath hitched and he grabbed Aedi’s ever so small hand in his own. If he could cry, Emmet would bet that tears would be sliding down his face. He was so caught up in Aedi he only just noticed that Rose had sat down on the other side of the bed, watching them both.

“I can’t believe that bastard,” Emmet said, his voice clipped at the end due to the raw emotion he was feeling. The black t-shirt Aedi was wearing masked the injuries on his body visibly but Emmet could smell the blood that had risen to the surface of his wounds and from Rose’s shock when he first saw his wife after she had helped Aedi shower, he could only guess how bad his wounds were. “Oh Aedi” he sighed, things couldn’t have been worse for his little brother.

////

 

Sooooooo...

I only posted the last chapter around ten minutes ago but I got excited and just posted this one anyway. What do you guys think??? 

Next chapter Aedi will finally meet Jasper and Alice, phew. 

Thanks again for reading! Comments and kudos are all appriciated x

Much love, 

Fraser x 


	8. Chapter 8

Aedi felt the pound of his headache before he fully woke up. Shuffling slightly, he felt the cool silk sheets against his hot skin and the breeze from an open window tickled the back of his neck. His body was a dead weight, cocooned in the bed. Taking in a deep breath, scents of fresh cotton, flowers and pine along with something that just instinctually smelt like home comforted him. He let out a long sigh, Aedi his head further into the pillow; wanting to sink into the bed which was so comfy and soft he thought he had to be resting on a cloud.

A headache was at the forefront of his mind though; it was bulging against his eyes and thumped at the back of his head, like a thick rubber band was being tightened around the middle of his head. Mustering some bravery, Aedi opened his eyes slightly before immediately slamming them shut again. It was way too bright in the room to even consider opening them a fraction.

A cool hand touched his face but Aedi couldn’t bear to see who it was. He was terrified to open his eyes and he’d be back with T-. ‘He’s dead.’ Aedi thought to himself, feeling the gaping hole in his chest open up once again.

His Tom was dead.

He would never see him again, see his smile, make pancakes with him on a Saturday, and curl up with him to watch a movie. He’d never see him after a long day of work, never hear him laugh, the laugh which vibrated in his chest, but was soft enough that only Aedi would hear it.

Aedi would never see him again.

But that also meant he would never see Thomas again, he wouldn’t be controlled nor manipulated, made to feel stupid or inadequate, never again would he feel those inappropriate touches. He would never be hit, kicked, spat on, whipped or cut by the man ever, ever again.

Aedi felt the tears slip down his face, his heart ached for Tom.

It soared for the loss of Thomas.

A voice broke his train of thought, “Aedi” it was Emmet. Looking up, he was standing just next to the bed, his hair was rumpled, his shirt creased and a swirl of emotion was painted on his face. It wasn’t the Emmet Aedi was used to. Emmet was perfect, perfect hair, clothes, perfect, perfect, perfect. Seeing him like this almost made him a little more human-like.

Aedi couldn’t muster up the energy to speak but opted to push his hand out from under the covers and grab Emmet’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. The older boy gave out a choked sound and sat down on the edge of the bed, cradling Aedi’s hand in his own. “I’m so sorry buddy” Emmet said, his voice was broken and scratchy, as if he was about to cry. Aedi dragged his body which felt like the heaviest thing in the world and rested his head next to Emmet’s hip, “s’okay” he whispered, the last thing he remembered saying before falling asleep again.

////

The next time he woke up, someone else was in the room with him. Cracking his eyes open slightly Aedi was relieved to see that it was early evening so the room was pleasantly dim.

Eyes scanning the room he looked at the person sat in a chair in the corner of the room. He looked to be around 17 or 18 and was hunched over reading a rather large book.

The stranger had beautiful honey coloured hair which fell in soft waves to just below his shoulders, and while he wasn’t hugely built like Emmet, he had broad shoulders and an obviously muscled physique. It fitted the white and black baseball tee he was wearing very nicely. Aedi couldn’t see his face properly as it was obscured by his hair but he bet that the stranger was just as bloody gorgeous as the rest of the occupants of the house were.

Aedi chose to ignore the blonde however and tried to weasel his way further into the comfort of the bed; he pulled the covers tightly around himself and covered his head with one of the soft blankets, sighing as the warmth smothered him.

A loud laugh made him come up from his burrowed place and Aedi was about to scold whoever it was when he found himself lost for words. It was the blonde stranger; he’d looked up from his book and was stood at the end of the bed, wide smile planted on his face as laughter still tried to escape from him. “Comfy?” he asked, Aedi couldn’t help it when he jaw dropped a little. Now he could see the strangers whole face he was just lost for words.

High pronounced cheekbones and a slim nose complimented a soft, but still prominent jawline. Brilliantly coloured topaz eyes that almost seemed to glow even in the dim lighting, stared at him, shining with amusement. He was tall, easily hitting the six-foot mark and although Aedi was right about him being muscular, he was a lot leaner than expected.

“You okay there darlin’?” he asked, a slightly spark of delight in his eyes. Aedi could only dumbly nod, his brain had been turned to mush and his mouth refused to co-operate to make any sound.

Aedi was saved however when Rosalie swooped into the room, a tray of food in her hand. “Jasper, stop disturbing him, he needs rest” she scolded the stranger; apparently he was Emmet’s sister’s boyfriend? If he remember correctly...’shame’ Aedi couldn’t help but think.

Guilt hit him like a tonne of bricks, Tom had died less than two days ago and he was already crushing on some stranger, some stranger who just happened to be his best friend’s sister’s boyfriend for god sake! He welled up and turned away from Rose and Jasper, not wanting them to see him cry, especially not Jasper.

“Hey Aed, what’s the matter?” he heard Rosalie ask, “leave him Rosie, he just needs a minute” Jasper said, his voice drawling in a soft southern accent. Although Aedi couldn’t see them, he knew that Rose was staring at him intently.

“I’ve left some food on the table here Aed, make sure you eat something. I’ll be back up in an hour to check on you” she said before placing a cool hand on Aedi shoulder. He flinched away slightly before nodding, “okay” he said, voice cracking and scratchy. A lump rose in his throat as he heard the door click shut, he was alone again.

He stayed curled up for a little bit, just letting himself be upset for awhile. He just couldn’t believe everything that had happened. Tom was dead; he was never coming back. Now he was at the Cullen’s of all places in a strange room he didn’t recognise.

His whole body ached like he’d been put through a meat grinder, his wrists and ankles were tender from where the skin had been rubbed raw by the restraints, his arm throbbed from where it had been broken by the meltdown and despite the cool sheets his back felt as if it was burning. It was the worst Thomas had ever hurt him. He would get violent sometimes and leave Aedi with scars but it only usually lasted an hour or two, then he would slow up and stop. Tend to him and apologise over and over again, they would get ice cream and watch superhero films together, but that night....

Thomas just kept going and going and going... Aedi’s whole world had been lit up in agony and every time he thought it couldn’t get worse, Thomas would kick it up a notch. Aedi had never felt pain like it. Not when he was stabbed by the man who killed his family, not when Thomas cut so deep he was even considering calling an ambulance.

What hurt the most though, was that Aedi knew the man would never let him die; never let his suffering go too far over the edge, never push in the knife just a little too deep. It made the pain a thousand times worse. The night had just been a never-ending suffering; he felt everything Thomas did to him, even when he was half conscious and nearly tipping over the edge.

Every blade that marred his skin with cuts, every punch, every whip and pressure point Thomas had learnt to cause Aedi unimaginable pain, it made his back arch and his body shake, he couldn’t even scream with how much agony he was feeling. There was that too. It made Aedi just feel so dirty; like he would never be clean again.

Then there was Emmet. His Emmet had killed Thomas. Right in front of him.

Aedi had never seen anyone so angry before, not even when Thomas had found him in his office. It was like there was a fire burning in his eyes, all of his muscles were taught and ready to strike, his body was shaking so fast Aedi couldn’t even see him properly and his teeth were bared as he growled viciously. He should be scared of Emmet, he should be. After seeing his kind, funny and caring friend turn into something of a monster, Aedi should be scared shitless of Emmet. But he couldn’t bring himself to be. Emmet was mad at Thomas. Emmet was the only person to ever stand up to him and be genuinely mad at him aside from Aedi.

All of the other people he had encountered with his foster father had always praised him, told him how lucky he was to have such an amazing man take him in. Granted they had never seen Thomas properly but Aedi couldn’t help but feel happy that finally someone had seen the ugly side to the man, the mean, cruel and malicious personality. The one that always made Aedi feel ashamed. Hell, if Aedi had been in Emmet’s position, he properly would have ripped Thomas’ head off.

So he couldn’t be mad, not really, he couldn’t even be scared. A tear trickled down his face, what a fucking mess.

////

“Come on sleepy head, let’s get up!” a chime like voice rang out in the room, one that Aedi didn’t recognise. He groaned and forced the covers higher up over his head but it was to no avail. “Come on Aedi,” the voice said before he felt a weight sit down on his bed, he sighed but lowered the covers down from over his face; once again he was lost for words.

‘What is it with beautiful people and this house’ he thought as he looked at the girl sat on his bed.

She was simply exquisite with wild black afro which bloomed up in every direction, small features and pixie-like face, she was skinny too but not enough to make her look sick. She also had those dazzling topaz eyes, just like everybody in the damn house did but it complimented her dark complexion well. She giggled at him and it rang out across the room like a light bell, Aedi thought she was beautiful.

“Morning” she said leaning against the headboard looking at him with a funny expression Aedi couldn’t understand, “morning” he whispered back praying his voice wouldn’t crack with nervousness, he stayed hunkered down in the bed as a form of comfort. “I’m Alice” she said and Aedi could have facepalmed, of course she was with Jasper.

“Aedi, but I’m guessing you already know that” he said smiling slightly, she chuckled and nodded “of course, Emmet is quite the momma bear” Aedi chuckled softly and sat up slightly ignoring the pain in his back as he did, “I never would have guessed that.” Alice turned her body to face him more and picked up one of the many pillows littering the bed, cradling it in her lap and playing with the zip as she launched into her story.

“Well this morning he got up at the crack of dawn and said he was going out. Which is odd because usually he just spends all day playing video games” she rolled her eyes “he said he was going out to collect ‘supplies’ that you might need. Rosie obviously said that she was going with him and this morning she’s been texting me saying that Emmet is buying everything he can get his hands on. Clothes, pyjamas, toothbrushes, hats, food of all kinds, books and he even bought you this massive blanket because he thought you were always cold. He’s going cuckoo” Alice explained, a relaxed smile on her face as she recalled her older brothers antics. Aedi blushed and buried his face in his hands, “he didn’t?” Alice laughed, “He sure did” Aedi let out a peal of giggles as the thought of Emmet running around all of the local stores trying to get everything.

Aedi felt a little guilty though about how much money Emmet must be spending on him.

“It was quite the spectacle, Rosie was even struggling to keep up with him” she said, Aedi nodded, he could believe it. “I don’t want him spending money on me, I don’t need it” he said, blushing slightly. Alice stared at him and said “Aedi you need this stuff, its okay. Emmet’s actually using his money well for once” she said flippantly. “Now what I came in to ask you was-”

At that moment there was a knock on the door, Jasper poked his head around and smiled when he saw his two mates sat together on the bed smiling. Aedi looked the best he had since he arrived and was still laughing slightly, Jasper could feel all of the happiness radiating from him, there was a small trail of guilt, but it was still a drastic difference from the pain and sadness the boy was feeling all of last night, especially when he was by himself in the evening.

“Good-mornin' Aedi you’re looking well today” he said, sending the boy a smile before looking at his wife “and Alice love, Carlisle wants to know if you’re still going to the hospital with him tonight?” She nodded before gesturing towards the bed “yes I am, but come on Jazz; sit with us for a bit. I was just telling Aedi about how Emmet has made it his life’s mission to make sure Aedi is the most comfortable person on the planet.”

Jasper laughed but agreed, then rather gracefully jumped down in order to lie down on the bed, his head in Alice’s lap who was sat cross-legged next to Aedi’s head.

“Y’know he’s going to spoil you Aedi, Emmet hasn’t been this crazy about someone since Rose” Jasper explained, chuckling as he grabbed one of Alice’s hands in his own. Aedi groaned and pulled a pillow over his face, turning, so his stomach was flat on the bed, “I don’t want him too” it was Alice’s turn to laugh, she picked the pillow up and threw it to the end of the bed, “he’s not going to stop anytime soon, I’d get used to it squirt.”

“Anyway how are you feeling? Still sore? I know Carlisle had to come and reset your arm last night” Jasper said, knowing that Aedi had started to feel overwhelmed with the conversation. The boy shrugged his shoulder and rubbed his arm which was now covered from his hand to his shoulder in a bright blue plaster, Carlisle had tried to be gentle this morning and gave him something to numb his arm but it still hurt a lot, Emmet had been there though, comforting him, which Aedi was grateful for.

“A bit sore, my arm just aches now” he mumbled, not really wanting to go into it. He couldn’t stand it when people gave him those funny expressions when he told them about how he was feeling. He was thankful however when Jasper and Alice only nodded and didn’t push him any further.

They started to talk about something that had happened at school yesterday and Aedi was just content to lie next to them and half pay attention to what they were saying.

He didn’t know why, but he just felt really comfortable around them, like he had known them for years when in reality he’d known Jasper for less than 24 hours and he’d met Alice a little over ten minutes ago. Yet here he was, on the bed next to them, his good arm just about grazing Jasper’s shoulder and Alice’ hand was resting just near his head as he dozed, considering Aedi hated people being near him and touching him unless he was close to them, he thought that this was quite the milestone.

They smelled really good too, which was weird to think, Aedi knew that. Usually when he was close to people though they always smelt strongly all of kinds of things and it gave Aedi a headache. Whether its strong perfumes or aftershaves they had practically swam in, food they’d eaten or the clothes that they were wearing. It always made Aedi’s brain cloudy with over simulation. But Alice and Jasper were different, yes they did smell of something, but it was comforting and not overpowering. Jasper smelt faintly like leather and pine while Alice was a mix of limes and freshly picked flowers.

They both carried a scent however that reminded Aedi of the forest after it had rained, when the ground was mossy and his feet would sink slightly. When the trees were glistening with rainwater making everything more beautiful when the light hit it; it was deeply soothing to Aedi and he could feel himself relaxing more and more.

“Hey sleepy don’t go back to sleep just yet, I was wondering whether you wanted to come downstairs for a little while. It’s not good to be cooped up in one place for too long” Alice said, running her hand over Aedi’s head to get his attention. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt Aedi and he looked over at both of them, he couldn’t tell what they were thinking, so asked “why?”

“Well Carlisle said that if you stay in one place for too long your body is going to get really stiff and even more sore than it is now, so we were wondering if you wanted to come downstairs for a bit and maybe sit in the garden for a while, that way you can stretch a bit and get some fresh air” Jasper explained. Aedi nodded and looked out the window; it looked like a nice enough day; if a little overcast. Then again it is Forks, so this was as good as it was going to get.

“Come on then, do you want a shower first?” Alice asked, “Because I can go and get Emmet if you want...?” Aedi paused for a second, he really did need a shower but he didn’t want Emmet to see him like that, it was bad enough when Rose had to help him. “I’m okay, I’ll take one by myself” he answered, Jasper raised an eyebrow, “you sure?” Aedi frowned, “yes I’m sure.” He could have a shower by himself, he wasn’t a baby.

“Jazz he’s okay. Let’s get you up then” Alice said, pushing her husband off and getting out the bed, holding her hand out for Aedi to grab. However Aedi chose to ignore it and gently edged over to the side, wincing as pain shot up his back when he sat up completely, something he hadn’t done since the night he came to stay at the Cullen’s.

Swinging his feet over and onto the floor, Aedi pushed his toes into the soft white carpet. Feeling his body adjust to sitting up, Aedi chose to just sit there for a minute as a slight dizziness muddled his brain. He felt someone sit down next to him, and a hand came down to rest near his knee.

“I’m sorry I said you couldn’t do it by yourself. I was just worried” it was Jasper, Aedi nodded and gave him a small smile, feeling his dizziness fade as he spoke to the blonde boy. “It’s okay, would you mind helping me get to the bathroom?” he asked, having to admit to himself that he wouldn’t be able to walk that far by himself due to how much his body ached and how long he’d been in bed for.

Jasper sent him a small smile and agreed, “is it okay if I put my arm around your waist to keep you steady?” he asked, Aedi appreciated him asking, “yeah that’s fine.” A strong arm wrapped around his middle and a few seconds later Aedi was stood up, feeling all of the blood drain from his head Aedi put all of his weight on Jasper, the dizziness was back and Aedi struggled to stand up.

“I’ve got you, it’s alright love.” They plodded slowly over to the bathroom and once they were finally in, Aedi collapsed on the chair Alice had just moved in so he could sit down comfortably. “You all good?” Jasper asked, his face contorted in a way Aedi couldn’t quite understand, he just nodded and tried to control his breathing, which had become slightly irregular and erratic over the small walk.

“It’s alright Aed, just take a moment. Alice has gone to get Carlisle; he wanted to talk to you about something before you got in the shower.” Aedi frowned, what was so important that Carlisle had to speak to him just before he was about to get clean for the first time in days.

There was a swift knock on the door and Jasper threw him a grin before opening the door and leaving, allowing Carlisle to walk in, still dressed in his scrubs from the hospital.

“Hey champ, how are you feeling?” he asked, a wide smile planted on his face. Aedi was getting increasing upset, why did people keep asking how he was? It isn’t going to change anything.

“Fine” he muttered, head down facing the floor and clutching his plastered arm. “That’s good then. Now. Aedi just remember that because some of the wounds are open, you can’t actually have a ‘shower’ just grab one of the cloths and wash over, Emmet’s going to have to come in and disinfect your back though, I’m sorry son” Carlisle explained.

Aedi just nodded, not really knowing what to say.

All he had wanted to do was sit under the water for a few minutes, it always helped him to forget and because the noise of the shower drowned out most of the other sounds around it, it allowed him to focus, even just for a few minutes on taking care of himself. “That’s fine,” he forced out “would you mind going now.”

Jasper looked at Carlisle with a worried expression. The older vampire just shook his head at his son and walked out of the room, gesturing him to follow.

He knew that Aedi needed to be alone for a little while now.

Jasper looked at Aedi one last time before whispering to him that he’d be in the next room if he needed anything.

All Aedi could muster was a small nod before he was left alone in the bathroom.

////

Hey!

Here's the next chapter, the trio have finally met!! 

As always, comments and kudos are always wildly appreciated. Thank you to each and every person reading this story, I can't wait to see what you all think! My boyfriends are getting increasingly annoyed at having to pull me away from writing this, so I hope you all appreciate it haha. 

Much love, 

Fraser x 


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